N-CSRS 1 d529679dncsrs.htm BLACKROCK FUNDS BLACKROCK FUNDS

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-05742

 

Name of Fund:   BlackRock FundsSM
  BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Fund Address:   100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19809

Name and address of agent for service: John M. Perlowski, Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock FundsSM,
50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (800) 441-7762

Date of fiscal year end: 01/31/2024

Date of reporting period: 07/31/2023


Item 1 – Report to Stockholders

(a) The Report to Shareholders is attached herewith.


 

LOGO

  JULY 31, 2023

 

   2023 Semi-Annual Report
(Unaudited)

 

BlackRock FundsSM

 

 

·  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

 

 

 

Not FDIC Insured • May Lose Value • No Bank Guarantee


The Markets in Review

Dear Shareholder,

Despite an uncertain economic landscape during the 12-month reporting period ended July 31, 2023, the resilience of the U.S. economy in the face of ever tighter financial conditions provided an encouraging backdrop for investors. While inflation was near multi-decade highs at the beginning of the period, it declined precipitously as commodity prices dropped. Labor shortages also moderated, although wages continued to grow and unemployment rates reached the lowest levels in decades. This robust labor market powered further growth in consumer spending, backstopping the economy.

Equity returns were solid, as the durability of consumer sentiment eased investors’ concerns about the economy’s trajectory. The U.S. economy resumed growth in the third quarter of 2022 and continued to expand thereafter. Most major classes of equities advanced, including large- and small-capitalization U.S. stocks and equities from developed and emerging markets.

The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose during the reporting period, driving its price down, as investors reacted to elevated inflation and attempted to anticipate future interest rate changes. The corporate bond market also faced inflationary headwinds, although high-yield corporate bond prices fared significantly better than investment-grade bonds as demand from yield-seeking investors remained strong.

The U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”), acknowledging that inflation has been more persistent than expected, raised interest rates seven times during the 12-month period ended July 31, 2023. Furthermore, the Fed wound down its bond-buying programs and incrementally reduced its balance sheet by not replacing securities that reach maturity. However, the Fed declined to raise interest rates at its June 2023 meeting, the first time it paused its tightening in the current cycle, before again raising rates in July 2023.

Supply constraints appear to have become an embedded feature of the new macroeconomic environment, making it difficult for developed economies to increase production without sparking higher inflation. Geopolitical fragmentation and an aging population risk further exacerbating these constraints, keeping the labor market tight and wage growth high. Although the Fed has decelerated the pace of interest rate hikes and recently opted for a pause, we believe that the new economic regime means that the Fed will need to maintain high rates for an extended period to keep inflation under control. Furthermore, ongoing structural changes may mean that the Fed will be hesitant to cut interest rates in the event of faltering economic activity lest inflation accelerate again. We believe investors should expect a period of higher volatility as markets adjust to the new economic reality and policymakers attempt to adapt.

While we favor an overweight position to developed market equities in the long term, we prefer an underweight stance in the near-term. Expectations for corporate earnings remain elevated, which seems inconsistent with macroeconomic constraints. Nevertheless, we are overweight on emerging market stocks in the near-term as growth trends for emerging markets appear brighter. We also believe that stocks with an A.I. tilt should benefit from an investment cycle that is set to support revenues and margins. We are neutral on credit overall amid tightening credit and financial conditions; however, there are selective opportunities in the near term. For fixed income investing with a six- to twelve-month horizon, we see the most attractive investments in short-term U.S. Treasuries, U.S. inflation-linked bonds, U.S. mortgage-backed securities, and hard-currency emerging market bonds.

Overall, our view is that investors need to think globally, position themselves to be prepared for a decarbonizing economy, and be nimble as market conditions change. We encourage you to talk with your financial advisor and visit blackrock.com for further insight about investing in today’s markets.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Rob Kapito

President, BlackRock Advisors, LLC

LOGO

Rob Kapito

President, BlackRock Advisors, LLC

 

Total Returns as of July 31, 2023

 

     
     6-Month   12-Month
   

U.S. large cap equities
(S&P 500® Index)

  13.52%   13.02%
   

U.S. small cap equities
(Russell 2000® Index)

  4.51    7.91 
   

International equities
(MSCI Europe, Australasia, Far East Index)

  6.65    16.79  
   

Emerging market equities
(MSCI Emerging Markets Index)

  3.26    8.35 
   

3-month Treasury bills
(ICE BofA 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index)

  2.34    3.96 
   

U.S. Treasury securities
(ICE BofA 10-Year U.S. Treasury Index)

  (2.08)    (7.56) 
   

U.S. investment grade bonds (Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index)

  (1.02)    (3.37) 
   

Tax-exempt municipal bonds (Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index)

  0.20    0.93 
   

U.S. high yield bonds
(Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Capped Index)

  2.92    4.42 

Past performance is not an indication of future results. Index performance is shown for illustrative purposes only. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

 

 

2  

T H I S  P A G EI S  N O T  P A R TO F  Y O U R  F U N D  R E P O R T


Table of Contents

 

      Page  

The Markets in Review

     2  

Semi-Annual Report:

  

Fund Summary

     4  

About Fund Performance

     6  

Disclosure of Expenses

     6  

Derivative Financial Instruments

     6  

Financial Statements:

  

Schedule of Investments

     7  

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

     11  

Statement of Operations

     13  

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

     14  

Financial Highlights

     15  

Notes to Financial Statements

     18  

Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreements

     27  

Additional Information

     30  

Glossary of Terms Used in this Report

     32  

 

 

 

 

LOGO

 

 

  3


Fund Summary as of July 31, 2023    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Investment Objective

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund’s (the “Fund”) investment objective is to seek total return comprised of long-term growth of capital and dividend income.

Portfolio Management Commentary

How did the Fund perform?

For the six-month period ended July 31, 2023, all of the Fund’s share classes outperformed the benchmark, the FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Index.

What factors influenced performance?

In sector terms, exposures that added to relative performance included triple net, apartments, and data centers. Individual positions that contributed positively to relative return included Crown Castle (tower), EPR Properties (triple net), and AvalonBay Communities (apartments).

Conversely, positioning in the other, manufactured home, and billboard sectors weighed on relative performance. Individual detractors included Iron Mountain (other), Sun Communities (manufactured homes), and Rexford Industrial (industrials).

Describe recent portfolio activity.

The Fund continued to employ a barbell approach to portfolio construction, with holdings in longer-duration growth names matched by more cyclical holdings. Holdings included companies executing accretive strategic acquisition pipelines, those capturing still healthy development spreads, and platforms with established capital and operating efficiency to scale up their asset bases. Given inflation pressures and rising rates, the Fund focused on companies’ debt metrics, and top line inflation linkages, with a preference for companies with exposure to attractive markets and strong balance sheets capable of withstanding short-term volatility in capital markets.

Describe portfolio positioning at period end.

At period end, the Fund was overweight sectors with strong secular growth drivers such as datacenter, life science and medical office, and manufactured housing, as well as select names levered to economic recovery. The Fund was underweight retail, where it held companies with well-located portfolios and strong balance sheets, as well as timber and billboards.

The views expressed reflect the opinions of BlackRock as of the date of this report and are subject to change based on changes in market, economic or other conditions. These views are not intended to be a forecast of future events and are no guarantee of future results.

 

 

4  

2 0 2 3  B L A C K R O C K  S E M I - A N N U A L  R E P O R TT O  S H A R E H O L D E R S


Fund Summary as of July 31, 2023 (continued)    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Performance

 

          Average Annual Total Returns(a)(b)  
          1 Year     5 Years     10 Years  
     6-Month
Total
Returns
    Without
Sales
Charge
    With
Sales
Charge
    Without
Sales
Charge
    With
Sales
Charge
    Without
Sales
Charge
    With
Sales
Charge
 

Institutional

    (3.58 )%      (9.78 )%      N/A       5.47     N/A       7.33     N/A  

Investor A

    (3.70     (10.02     (14.74 )%      5.21       4.08     7.05       6.48

Investor C

    (4.04     (10.72     (11.59     4.42       4.42       6.41       6.41  

FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Index(c)

    (5.18     (11.22     N/A       3.87       N/A       5.72       N/A  

 

(a) 

Assuming maximum sales charges, if any. Average annual total returns with and without sales charges reflect reductions for distribution and service fees. See “About Fund Performance” for a detailed description of share classes, including any related sales charges and fees.

(b) 

Under normal conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) in a portfolio of equity investments in issuers that are primarily engaged in or related to the real estate industry inside the United States.

(c) 

A free-float adjusted, market capitalization-weighted index of U.S. equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”).

N/A - Not applicable as share class and index do not have a sales charge.

Past performance is not an indication of future results.

Performance results may include adjustments made for financial reporting purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Expense Example

 

           Actual                Hypothetical 5% Return           
 

 

 

     

 

 

      
     

Beginning
Account Value
(02/01/23)
 
 
 
    

Ending
Account Value
(07/31/23)
 
 
 
    

Expenses
Paid During
the Period
 
 
(a) 
       

Beginning
Account Value
(02/01/23)
 
 
 
    

Ending
Account Value
(07/31/23)
 
 
 
    

Expenses
Paid During
the Period
 
 
(a) 
      

Annualized
Expense
Ratio
 
 
 

Institutional

    $  1,000.00        $   964.20        $  3.65         $  1,000.00        $  1,021.08        $  3.76          0.75

Investor A

    1,000.00        963.00        4.87         1,000.00        1,019.84        5.01          1.00  

Investor C

    1,000.00        959.60        8.50           1,000.00        1,016.12        8.75          1.75  

 

(a) 

For each class of the Fund, expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio for the class, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period shown).

See “Disclosure of Expenses” for further information on how expenses were calculated.

Portfolio Information

 

TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS

 

   
Security(a)   Percent of
Net Assets
 

American Tower Corp.

    7.7

Prologis, Inc.

    7.4  

Equinix, Inc.

    6.7  

VICI Properties, Inc.

    4.4  

Extra Space Storage, Inc.

    4.3  

AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

    4.2  

Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc.

    3.9  

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

    3.5  

Welltower, Inc.

    3.3  

Simon Property Group, Inc.

    3.3  
INDUSTRY ALLOCATION

 

   
Industry(b)   Percent of
Net Assets
 

Specialized REITs

    36.7

Residential REITs

    15.5  

Industrial REITs

    12.9  

Retail REITs

    12.9  

Health Care REITs

    8.1  

Office REITs

    7.3  

Hotel & Resort REITs

    2.8  

Other (each representing less than 1%)

    1.1  

Short-Term Securities

    3.1  

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets

    (0.4
 
(a) 

Excludes short-term investments.

(b) 

For Fund compliance purposes, the Fund’s industry classifications refer to one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or ratings group indexes, and/or as defined by the investment adviser. These definitions may not apply for purposes of this report, which may combine such industry sub-classifications for reporting ease.

 

 

F U N D  S U M M A R Y

  5


About Fund Performance   

 

Institutional Shares are not subject to any sales charge. These shares bear no ongoing distribution or service fees and are available only to certain eligible investors.

Investor A Shares are subject to a maximum initial sales charge (front-end load) of 5.25% and a service fee of 0.25% per year (but no distribution fee). Certain redemptions of these shares may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) where no initial sales charge was paid at the time of purchase. These shares are generally available through financial intermediaries.

Investor C Shares are subject to a 1.00% CDSC if redeemed within one year of purchase. In addition, these shares are subject to a distribution fee of 0.75% per year and a service fee of 0.25% per year. These shares are generally available through financial intermediaries. These shares automatically convert to Investor A Shares after approximately eight years.

Past performance is not an indication of future results. Financial markets have experienced extreme volatility and trading in many instruments has been disrupted. These circumstances may continue for an extended period of time and may continue to affect adversely the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments. As a result, current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. Refer to blackrock.com to obtain performance data current to the most recent month-end. Performance results do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Figures shown in the performance table assumes reinvestment of all distributions, if any, at net asset value (“NAV”) on the ex-dividend date or payable date, as applicable. Investment return and principal value of shares will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Distributions paid to each class of shares will vary because of the different levels of service, distribution and transfer agency fees applicable to each class, which are deducted from the income available to be paid to shareholders.

BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Manager”), the Fund’s investment adviser, has contractually and/or voluntarily agreed to waive and/or reimburse a portion of the Fund’s expenses. Without such waiver(s) and/or reimbursement(s), the Fund’s performance would have been lower. With respect to the Fund’s voluntary waiver(s), if any, the Manager is under no obligation to waive and/or reimburse or to continue waiving and/or reimbursing its fees and such voluntary waiver(s) may be reduced or discontinued at any time. With respect to the Fund’s contractual waiver(s), if any, the Manager is under no obligation to continue waiving and/or reimbursing its fees after the applicable termination date of such agreement. See the Notes to Financial Statements for additional information on waivers and/or reimbursements.

Disclosure of Expenses

Shareholders of the Fund may incur the following charges: (a) transactional expenses, such as sales charges; and (b) operating expenses, including investment advisory fees, administration fees, service and distribution fees, including 12b-1 fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, and other fund expenses. The expense example shown (which is based on a hypothetical investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held through the end of the period) is intended to assist shareholders both in calculating expenses based on an investment in the Fund and in comparing these expenses with similar costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The expense example provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. Annualized expense ratios reflect contractual and voluntary fee waivers, if any. In order to estimate the expenses a shareholder paid during the period covered by this report, shareholders can divide their account value by $1,000 and then multiply the result by the number corresponding to their share class under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During the Period.”

The expense example also provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses. In order to assist shareholders in comparing the ongoing expenses of investing in the Fund and other funds, compare the 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

The expenses shown in the expense example are intended to highlight shareholders’ ongoing costs only and do not reflect transactional expenses, such as sales charges, if any. Therefore, the hypothetical example is useful in comparing ongoing expenses only and will not help shareholders determine the relative total expenses of owning different funds. If these transactional expenses were included, shareholder expenses would have been higher.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Fund may invest in various derivative financial instruments. These instruments are used to obtain exposure to a security, commodity, index, market, and/or other assets without owning or taking physical custody of securities, commodities and/or other referenced assets or to manage market, equity, credit, interest rate, foreign currency exchange rate, commodity and/or other risks. Derivative financial instruments may give rise to a form of economic leverage and involve risks, including the imperfect correlation between the value of a derivative financial instrument and the underlying asset, possible default of the counterparty to the transaction or illiquidity of the instrument. Pursuant to Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, among other things, the Fund must either use derivative financial instruments with embedded leverage in a limited manner or comply with an outer limit on fund leverage risk based on value-at-risk. The Fund’s successful use of a derivative financial instrument depends on the investment adviser’s ability to predict pertinent market movements accurately, which cannot be assured. The use of these instruments may result in losses greater than if they had not been used, may limit the amount of appreciation the Fund can realize on an investment and/or may result in lower distributions paid to shareholders. The Fund’s investments in these instruments, if any, are discussed in detail in the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

6  

2 0 2 3  B L A C K R O C K  S E M I - A N N U A L  R E P O R TT O  S H A R E H O L D E R S


Schedule of Investments (unaudited)

July 31, 2023

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

(Percentages shown are based on Net Assets)

 

Security   Shares     Value  

Common Stocks

 

Diversified Telecommunication Services — 0.5%  

Cellnex Telecom SA(a)

    34,786     $    1,420,628  
   

 

 

 
Health Care REITs — 8.1%            

Community Healthcare Trust, Inc.

    16,260       573,003  

Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc.

    98,008       3,126,455  

Physicians Realty Trust

    315,289       4,647,360  

Ventas, Inc.

    132,216       6,415,120  

Welltower, Inc.

    123,860       10,175,099  
   

 

 

 
      24,937,037  
Hotel & Resort REITs — 2.8%            

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

    247,006       4,544,911  

Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.

    43,439       4,139,302  
   

 

 

 
      8,684,213  
Industrial REITs — 12.9%            

Prologis, Inc.

    180,839       22,559,665  

Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc.

    216,203       11,910,623  

STAG Industrial, Inc.

    142,529       5,173,803  
   

 

 

 
      39,644,091  
Office REITs — 7.3%            

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

    74,373       9,347,198  

Boston Properties, Inc.

    85,771       5,714,922  

Cousins Properties, Inc.

    141,980       3,468,571  

SL Green Realty Corp.

    102,715       3,873,383  
   

 

 

 
      22,404,074  
Real Estate Management & Development — 0.6%        

Corporación Inmobiliaria Vesta SAB de CV, ADR(b)

    45,443       1,648,218  
   

 

 

 
Residential REITs — 15.5%            

AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

    67,877       12,804,996  

Equity Residential

    118,229       7,796,020  

Invitation Homes, Inc.

    272,295       9,666,472  

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.

    24,736       3,701,990  

Sun Communities, Inc.

    71,725       9,345,767  

UDR, Inc.

    102,204       4,178,100  

Veris Residential, Inc.(c)

    7,426       138,718  
   

 

 

 
      47,632,063  
Retail REITs — 12.9%            

Agree Realty Corp.

    141,534       9,168,572  

Brixmor Property Group, Inc.

    155,215       3,529,589  

Federal Realty Investment Trust

    39,703       4,030,649  
Security   Shares     Value  
Retail REITs (continued)            

Regency Centers Corp.

    122,711     $ 8,041,252  

Simon Property Group, Inc.

    80,106       9,981,208  

Spirit Realty Capital, Inc.

    118,507       4,779,387  
   

 

 

 
      39,530,657  
Specialized REITs — 36.7%            

American Tower Corp.

    124,471       23,688,076  

Crown Castle, Inc.

    63,400       6,865,586  

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

    85,184       10,615,630  

EPR Properties

    125,867       5,618,703  

Equinix, Inc.

    25,244       20,445,621  

Extra Space Storage, Inc.

    95,359       13,309,256  

Public Storage

    23,155       6,523,921  

SBA Communications Corp.

    32,963       7,217,249  

VICI Properties, Inc.

    429,761       13,528,876  

Weyerhaeuser Co.

    139,119       4,738,393  
   

 

 

 
      112,551,311  
   

 

 

 

Total Long-Term Investments — 97.3%
(Cost: $267,598,544)

      298,452,292  
   

 

 

 
Short-Term Securities            
Money Market Funds — 3.1%            

BlackRock Liquidity Funds, T-Fund, Institutional Class, 5.16%(d)(e)

    7,771,942       7,771,942  

SL Liquidity Series, LLC, Money Market Series, 5.42%(d)(e)(f)

    1,683,578       1,683,915  
   

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Securities — 3.1%
(Cost: $9,455,692)

 

    9,455,857  
   

 

 

 

Total Investments — 100.4%
(Cost: $277,054,236)

 

    307,908,149  

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets — (0.4)%

 

    (1,102,657
   

 

 

 

Net Assets — 100.0%

    $  306,805,492  
   

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Security exempt from registration pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration to qualified institutional investors.

(b) 

All or a portion of this security is on loan.

(c) 

Non-income producing security.

(d) 

Affiliate of the Fund.

(e) 

Annualized 7-day yield as of period end.

(f) 

All or a portion of this security was purchased with the cash collateral from loaned securities.

 

 

 

S C H E D U L EO F  I N V E S T M E N T S

  7


Schedule of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

July 31, 2023

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Affiliates

Investments in issuers considered to be affiliate(s) of the Fund during the period ended July 31, 2023 for purposes of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, were as follows:

 

                   
  Affiliated Issuer   Value at
01/31/23
    Purchases
at Cost
    Proceeds
from Sale
    Net
Realized
Gain (Loss)
    Change in
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
    Value at
07/31/23
    Shares
Held at
07/31/23
    Income    

Capital

Gain
Distributions
from Underlying
Funds

        
 

BlackRock Liquidity Funds, T-Fund, Institutional Class

  $  5,717,880     $  2,054,062 (a)    $     $     $     $  7,771,942       7,771,942     $  172,460     $     
 

SL Liquidity Series, LLC, Money Market Series

          1,683,967 (a)            (217     165       1,683,915       1,683,578       161 (b)           
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

    
          $ (217   $ 165     $ 9,455,857       $ 172,621     $     
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

  (a) 

Represents net amount purchased (sold).

 
  (b) 

All or a portion represents securities lending income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral from loaned securities, net of fees and collateral investment expenses, and other payments to and from borrowers of securities.

 

For Fund compliance purposes, the Fund’s industry classifications refer to one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or rating group indexes, and/or as defined by the investment adviser. These definitions may not apply for purposes of this report, which may combine such industry sub-classifications for reporting ease.

Derivative Financial Instruments Outstanding as of Period End

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts

               
Currency Purchased         Currency Sold           Counterparty    Settlement
Date
           Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 
USD   850,852        EUR 761,000        Goldman Sachs International      10/16/23         $ 10,983  
                  

 

 

 

Derivative Financial Instruments Categorized by Risk Exposure

As of period end, the fair values of derivative financial instruments located in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities were as follows:

 

               
        Commodity
Contracts
     Credit
Contracts
     Equity
Contracts
     Foreign
Currency
Exchange
Contracts
     Interest
Rate
Contracts
     Other
Contracts
     Total        

Assets — Derivative Financial Instruments

                      

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

                      

Unrealized appreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

   $      $      $      $ 10,983      $      $      $  10,983    
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

For the period ended July 31, 2023, the effect of derivative financial instruments in the Statement of Operations was as follows:

 

 

 
               
        Commodity
Contracts
     Credit
Contracts
     Equity
Contracts
     Foreign
Currency
Exchange
Contracts
     Interest
Rate
Contracts
     Other
Contracts
     Total        

Net Realized Gain (Loss) from:

                      

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

   $      $      $      $ (82,732    $      $      $  (82,732  

Swaps

                   100,585                             100,585    
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   
     $      $      $  100,585      $ (82,732    $      $      $ 17,853    
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on:

                      

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

   $      $      $      $ 45,278      $      $      $ 45,278    
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

8  

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Schedule of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

July 31, 2023

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Average Quarterly Balances of Outstanding Derivative Financial Instruments

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

       

Average amounts purchased — in USD

  $ 2,334,133  

Average amounts sold — in USD

  $ 1,483,760  

Total Return Swaps

 

Average notional amount

    $—(a )  

 

  (a) 

Derivative not held at any quarter-end. The risk exposure table serves as an indicator of activity during the period.

 

For more information about the Fund’s investment risks regarding derivative financial instruments, refer to the Notes to Financial Statements.

Derivative Financial Instruments – Offsetting as of Period End

The Fund’s derivative assets and liabilities (by type) were as follows:

 

     
      Assets      Liabilities  

Derivative Financial Instruments

     

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

   $ 10,983      $  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total derivative assets and liabilities in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities

   $ 10,983      $  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Derivatives not subject to a Master Netting Agreement or similar agreement (“MNA”)

             
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total derivative assets and liabilities subject to an MNA

   $ 10,983      $  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The following table presents the Fund’s derivative assets and liabilities by counterparty net of amounts available for offset under an MNA and net of the related collateral received and pledged by the Fund:

 

           
Counterparty    Derivative
Assets
Subject to
an MNA by
Counterparty
     Derivatives
Available
for Offset(a)
    

Non-

Cash
Collateral
Received(b)

     Cash
Collateral
Received(b)
     Net
Amount of
Derivative
Assets(c)(d)
 

Goldman Sachs International

   $ 10,983      $      $      $      $ 10,983  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

The amount of derivatives available for offset is limited to the amount of derivative assets and/or liabilities that are subject to an MNA.

 
  (b) 

Excess of collateral received/pledged, if any, from the individual counterparty is not shown for financial reporting purposes.

 
  (c) 

Net amount represents the net amount receivable from the counterparty in the event of default.

 
  (d) 

Net amount may also include forward foreign currency exchange contracts that are not required to be collateralized.

 

Fair Value Hierarchy as of Period End

Various inputs are used in determining the fair value of financial instruments. For a description of the input levels and information about the Fund’s policy regarding valuation of financial instruments, refer to the Notes to Financial Statements.

The following table summarizes the Fund’s financial instruments categorized in the fair value hierarchy. The breakdown of the Fund’s financial instruments into major categories is disclosed in the Schedule of Investments above.

 

         
      Level 1        Level 2        Level 3        Total  

Assets

                 

Investments

                 

Long-Term Investments

                 

Common Stocks

                 

Diversified Telecommunication Services

   $        $ 1,420,628        $        $ 1,420,628  

Health Care REITs

     24,937,037                            24,937,037  

Hotel & Resort REITs

     8,684,213                            8,684,213  

Industrial REITs

     39,644,091                            39,644,091  

Office REITs

     22,404,074                            22,404,074  

Real Estate Management & Development

     1,648,218                            1,648,218  

Residential REITs

     47,632,063                            47,632,063  

Retail REITs

     39,530,657                            39,530,657  

Specialized REITs

     112,551,311                            112,551,311  

 

 

S C H E D U L EO F  I N V E S T M E N T S

  9


Schedule of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

July 31, 2023

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Fair Value Hierarchy as of Period End (continued)

 

      Level 1        Level 2        Level 3        Total  

Short-Term Securities

                 

Money Market Funds

   $ 7,771,942        $        $        $ 7,771,942  
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 
   $ 304,803,606        $ 1,420,628        $          306,224,234  
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Investments valued at NAV(a)

                    1,683,915  
                 

 

 

 
                  $  307,908,149  
                 

 

 

 
Derivative Financial Instruments(b)                                  

Assets

                 

Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts

   $        $ 10,983        $        $ 10,983  
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

Certain investments of the Fund were fair valued using NAV as a practical expedient as no quoted market value is available and therefore have been excluded from the fair value hierarchy.

 
  (b) 

Derivative financial instruments are forward foreign currency exchange contracts. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument.

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

10  

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Statement of Assets and Liabilities (unaudited)

July 31, 2023

 

     BlackRock
Real Estate
Securities Fund
 

ASSETS

 

Investments, at value — unaffiliated(a)(b)

  $ 298,452,292  

Investments, at value — affiliated(c)

    9,455,857  

Receivables:

 

Investments sold

    403,638  

Securities lending income — affiliated

    91  

Capital shares sold

    409,693  

Dividends — unaffiliated

    179,947  

Dividends — affiliated

    25,408  

From the Manager

    41,706  

Unrealized appreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

    10,983  

Prepaid expenses

    39,204  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    309,018,819  
 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

 

Collateral on securities loaned

    1,683,967  

Payables:

 

Administration fees

    11,111  

Capital shares redeemed

    138,075  

Investment advisory fees

    153,550  

Trustees’ and Officer’s fees

    1,106  

Other accrued expenses

    92,641  

Other affiliate fees

    29,151  

Professional fees

    43,657  

Registration fees

    52,484  

Service and distribution fees

    7,585  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    2,213,327  
 

 

 

 

Commitments and contingent liabilities

 

NET ASSETS

  $ 306,805,492  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS CONSIST OF:

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 351,000,377  

Accumulated loss

    (44,194,885
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

  $  306,805,492  
 

 

 

 

(a) Investments, at cost — unaffiliated

  $ 267,598,544  

(b) Securities loaned, at value

  $ 1,628,523  

(c)  Investments, at cost — affiliated

  $ 9,455,692  

 

 

F I N A N C I A L  S T A T E M E N T S

  11


Statement of Assets and Liabilities (unaudited) (continued)

July 31, 2023

 

     BlackRock
Real Estate
Securities Fund
 

NET ASSET VALUE

 
Institutional      

Net assets

  $  279,816,284  
 

 

 

 

Shares outstanding

    20,014,946  
 

 

 

 

Net asset value

  $ 13.98  
 

 

 

 

Shares authorized

    Unlimited  
 

 

 

 

Par value

  $ 0.001  
 

 

 

 
Investor A      

Net assets

  $ 24,348,752  
 

 

 

 

Shares outstanding

    1,741,070  
 

 

 

 

Net asset value

  $ 13.98  
 

 

 

 

Shares authorized

    Unlimited  
 

 

 

 

Par value

  $ 0.001  
 

 

 

 
Investor C      

Net assets

  $ 2,640,456  
 

 

 

 

Shares outstanding

    191,023  
 

 

 

 

Net asset value

  $ 13.82  
 

 

 

 

Shares authorized

    Unlimited  
 

 

 

 

Par value

  $ 0.001  
 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements. 

 

 

12  

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Statement of Operations (unaudited)

Six Months Ended July 31, 2023

 

     BlackRock
Real Estate
Securities Fund
 

INVESTMENT INCOME

 

Dividends — unaffiliated

  $ 7,119,774  

Dividends — affiliated

    172,460  

Securities lending income — affiliated — net

    161  

Foreign taxes withheld

    (1,288
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    7,291,107  
 

 

 

 

EXPENSES

 

Investment advisory

    1,334,482  

Transfer agent — class specific

    272,663  

Administration

    75,621  

Professional

    63,698  

Registration

    56,588  

Service and distribution — class specific

    42,468  

Administration — class specific

    35,665  

Accounting services

    27,795  

Printing and postage

    24,556  

Custodian

    4,864  

Trustees and Officer

    4,688  

Miscellaneous

    6,998  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    1,950,086  

Less:

 

Administration fees waived by the Manager — class specific

    (35,665

Fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager

    (266,992

Transfer agent fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager — class specific

    (270,210
 

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    1,377,219  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    5,913,888  
 

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS)

 

Net realized gain (loss) from:

 

Investments — unaffiliated

    (34,005,467

Investments — affiliated

    (217

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

    (82,732

Foreign currency transactions

    (8,622

Swaps

    100,585  
 

 

 

 
    (33,996,453
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:

 

Investments — unaffiliated

    6,293,924  

Investments — affiliated

    165  

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

    45,278  

Foreign currency translations

    16,500  
 

 

 

 
    6,355,867  
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized loss

    (27,640,586
 

 

 

 

NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS

  $  (21,726,698
 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

F I N A N C I A L  S T A T E M E N T S

  13


 

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund  
 

 

 

 
    Six Months
Ended
07/31/23
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
01/31/23
 

 

 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS

 

 

OPERATIONS

   

Net investment income

  $ 5,913,888     $ 10,593,444  

Net realized loss

    (33,996,453     (32,193,852

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

    6,355,867       (52,831,042
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

    (21,726,698     (74,431,450
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS(a)

   

From net investment income and net realized gain:

   

Institutional

    (5,120,342     (16,808,621

Investor A

    (332,177     (852,690

Investor C

    (27,503     (89,286

Return of capital:

   

Institutional

          (1,102,805

Investor A

          (53,767

Investor C

          (4,834
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Decrease in net assets resulting from distributions to shareholders

    (5,480,022     (18,912,003
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS

   

Net increase (decrease) in net assets derived from capital share transactions

    (130,208,961     14,857,412  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   

Total decrease in net assets

    (157,415,681     (78,486,041

Beginning of period

    464,221,173       542,707,214  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

  $ 306,805,492     $ 464,221,173  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

14  

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Financial Highlights

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund  
    Institutional  
    Six Months
Ended
07/31/23
(unaudited)
          Year Ended
01/31/23
          Year Ended
01/31/22
          Year Ended
01/31/21
          Year Ended
01/31/20
          Year Ended
01/31/19
 
                       

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 14.72       $ 17.52       $ 13.50       $ 14.52       $ 12.73       $ 11.61  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income(a)

    0.23         0.34         0.18         0.19         0.25         0.22  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    (0.76       (2.56       4.15         (0.92       1.81         1.25  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

    (0.53       (2.22       4.33         (0.73       2.06         1.47  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions(b)

                     

From net investment income

    (0.21 )(c)         (0.35       (0.23       (0.22       (0.23       (0.35

From net realized gain

            (0.20       (0.08               (0.04        

Return of capital

            (0.03               (0.07                
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total distributions

    (0.21       (0.58       (0.31       (0.29       (0.27       (0.35
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 13.98       $ 14.72       $ 17.52       $ 13.50       $ 14.52       $ 12.73  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Return(d)

                     

Based on net asset value

    (3.58 )%(e)        (12.53 )%        32.21       (4.85 )%        16.32       12.95
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(f)

                     

Total expenses

    1.08 %(g)         0.98       1.02       1.16       1.25 %(h)        1.95
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    0.75 %(g)         0.75       0.75       0.84       1.05       1.07
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income

    3.36 %(g)         2.19       1.06       1.48       1.74       1.87
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

                     

Net assets, end of period (000)

  $ 279,816       $ 436,099       $ 505,048       $ 87,699       $  84,937       $ 13,470  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate

    39 %(i)         56 %(i)         73 %(i)         58 %(i)         63 %(i)         82 %(i)  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

(a)

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

(c) 

A portion of the distributions from net investment income may be deemed a return of capital or net realized gain at fiscal year-end.

(d) 

Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.

(e) 

Not annualized.

(f) 

Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.

(g) 

Annualized.

(h) 

Includes recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees with no financial impact to the expense ratios.

(i) 

Excludes underlying investments in total return swaps.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

F I N A N C I A L  H I G H L I G H T S

  15


Financial Highlights (continued)

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund (continued)  
    Investor A  
    Six Months
Ended
07/31/23
(unaudited)
          Year Ended
01/31/23
          Year Ended
01/31/22
          Year Ended
01/31/21
          Year Ended
01/31/20
          Year Ended
01/31/19
 
                       

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 14.72       $ 17.52       $ 13.46       $ 14.49       $ 12.70       $ 11.58  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income(a)

    0.20         0.29         0.20         0.17         0.16         0.22  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    (0.75       (2.54       4.08         (0.94       1.87         1.22  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

    (0.55       (2.25       4.28         (0.77       2.03         1.44  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions(b)

                     

From net investment income

    (0.19 )(c)         (0.32       (0.15       (0.20       (0.20       (0.32

From net realized gain

            (0.20       (0.07               (0.04        

Return of capital

            (0.03               (0.06                
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total distributions

    (0.19       (0.55       (0.22       (0.26       (0.24       (0.32
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 13.98       $ 14.72       $ 17.52       $ 13.46       $ 14.49       $ 12.70  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Return(d)

                     

Based on net asset value

    (3.70 )%(e)        (12.76 )%        31.91       (5.17 )%        16.09       12.70
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(f)

                     

Total expenses

    1.26 %(g)        1.47       1.35       1.40       1.44 %(h)         2.23
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    1.00 %(g)        1.00       1.00       1.09       1.30       1.32
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income

    2.97 %(g)        1.89       1.28       1.40       1.11       1.85
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

                     

Net assets, end of period (000)

  $ 24,349       $ 25,120       $ 33,621       $ 181,893       $ 177,535       $ 14,391  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate

    39 %(i)         56 %(i)         73 %(i)         58 %(i)         63 %(i)         82 %(i)  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

(c) 

A portion of the distributions from net investment income may be deemed a return of capital or net realized gain at fiscal year-end.

(d) 

Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions.

(e) 

Not annualized.

(f) 

Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.

(g) 

Annualized.

(h) 

Includes recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees with no financial impact to the expense ratios.

(i) 

Excludes underlying investments in total return swaps.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

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Financial Highlights (continued)

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund (continued)  
    Investor C  
    Six Months
Ended
07/31/23
(unaudited)
          Year Ended
01/31/23
          Year Ended
01/31/22
          Year Ended
01/31/21
          Year Ended
01/31/20
          Year Ended
01/31/19
 
                       

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 14.55       $ 17.33       $ 13.38       $ 14.39       $ 12.62       $ 11.50  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income(a)

    0.15         0.18         0.03         0.11         0.16         0.15  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    (0.74       (2.52       4.09         (0.96       1.75         1.20  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

    (0.59       (2.34       4.12         (0.85       1.91         1.35  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions(b)

                     

From net investment income

    (0.14 )(c)        (0.22       (0.13       (0.12       (0.10       (0.23

From net realized gain

            (0.20       (0.04               (0.04        

Return of capital

            (0.02               (0.04                
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total distributions

    (0.14       (0.44       (0.17       (0.16       (0.14       (0.23
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 13.82       $ 14.55       $ 17.33       $ 13.38       $ 14.39       $ 12.62  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Return(d)

                     

Based on net asset value

    (4.04 )%(e)        (13.43 )%        30.88       (5.85 )%        15.21       11.92
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(f)

                     

Total expenses

    2.11 %(g)        2.11       2.15       2.22       2.49       3.14
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    1.75 %(g)        1.75       1.75       1.86       2.05       2.07
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income

    2.22 %(g)        1.17       0.16       0.92       1.16       1.31
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

                     

Net assets, end of period (000)

  $ 2,640       $ 3,002       $ 4,037       $ 1,889       $ 3,583       $ 2,446  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate

    39 %(h)         56 %(h)         73 %(h)         58 %(h)         63 %(h)         82 %(h)  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

(c) 

A portion of the distributions from net investment income may be deemed a return of capital or net realized gain at fiscal year-end.

(d) 

Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions.

(e) 

Not annualized.

(f) 

Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.

(g) 

Annualized.

(h) 

Excludes underlying investments in total return swaps.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

F I N A N C I A L  H I G H L I G H T S

  17


Notes to Financial Statements (unaudited)

 

1.

ORGANIZATION

BlackRock FundsSM (the “Trust”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Trust is organized as a Massachusetts business trust. BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund (the “Fund”) is a series of the Trust. The Fund is classified as non-diversified.

The Fund offers multiple classes of shares. All classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidation and other rights and are subject to the same terms and conditions, except that certain classes bear expenses related to the shareholder servicing and distribution of such shares. Institutional Shares are sold only to certain eligible investors. Investor A and Investor C Shares bear certain expenses related to shareholder servicing of such shares, and Investor C Shares also bear certain expenses related to the distribution of such shares. Investor A and Investor C Shares are generally available through financial intermediaries. Each class has exclusive voting rights with respect to matters relating to its shareholder servicing and distribution expenditures (except that Investor C shareholders may vote on material changes to the Investor A Shares distribution and service plan).

 

       
Share Class   Initial Sales Charge    CDSC      Conversion Privilege

Institutional Shares

  No      No      None

Investor A Shares

  Yes      No (a)     None

Investor C Shares

  No      Yes (b)     To Investor A Shares after approximately 8 years

 

  (a) 

Investor A Shares may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) for certain redemptions where no initial sales charge was paid at the time of purchase.

 
  (b) 

A CDSC of 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of Investor C Shares made within one year after purchase.

 

The Fund, together with certain other registered investment companies advised by BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Manager”) or its affiliates, is included in a complex of funds referred to as the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex.

 

2.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), which may require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Fund is considered an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. Below is a summary of significant accounting policies:

Investment Transactions and Income Recognition: For financial reporting purposes, investment transactions are recorded on the dates the transactions are executed. Realized gains and losses on investment transactions are determined using the specific identification method. Dividend income and capital gain distributions, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend dates. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend dates at fair value. Dividends from foreign securities where the ex-dividend dates may have passed are subsequently recorded when the Fund is informed of the ex-dividend dates. Under the applicable foreign tax laws, a withholding tax at various rates may be imposed on capital gains, dividends and interest. Upon notification from issuers, a portion of the dividend income received from a real estate investment trust may be redesignated as a reduction of cost of the related investment and/or realized gain. Income, expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated daily to each class based on its relative net assets.

Foreign Currency Translation: The Fund’s books and records are maintained in U.S. dollars. Securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates determined as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). Purchases and sales of investments are recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, the investments denominated in that currency will lose value; the opposite effect occurs if the U.S. dollar falls in relative value.

The Fund does not isolate the effect of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates from the effect of fluctuations in the market prices of investments for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, the effects of changes in exchange rates on investments are not segregated in the Statement of Operations from the effects of changes in market prices of those investments, but are included as a component of net realized and unrealized gain (loss) from investments. The Fund reports realized currency gains (losses) on foreign currency related transactions as components of net realized gain (loss) for financial reporting purposes, whereas such components are generally treated as ordinary income for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Foreign Taxes: The Fund may be subject to foreign taxes (a portion of which may be reclaimable) on income, stock dividends, capital gains on investments, or certain foreign currency transactions. All foreign taxes are recorded in accordance with the applicable foreign tax regulations and rates that exist in the foreign jurisdictions in which the Fund invests. These foreign taxes, if any, are paid by the Fund and are reflected in its Statement of Operations as follows: foreign taxes withheld at source are presented as a reduction of income, foreign taxes on securities lending income are presented as a reduction of securities lending income, foreign taxes on stock dividends are presented as “Foreign taxes withheld”, and foreign taxes on capital gains from sales of investments and foreign taxes on foreign currency transactions are included in their respective net realized gain (loss) categories. Foreign taxes payable or deferred as of July 31, 2023, if any, are disclosed in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

The Fund files withholding tax reclaims in certain jurisdictions to recover a portion of amounts previously withheld. The Fund may record a reclaim receivable based on collectability, which includes factors such as the jurisdiction’s applicable laws, payment history and market convention. The Statement of Operations includes tax reclaims recorded as well as professional and other fees, if any, associated with recovery of foreign withholding taxes.

Collateralization: If required by an exchange or counterparty agreement, the Fund may be required to deliver/deposit cash and/or securities to/with an exchange, or broker-dealer or custodian as collateral for certain investments.

 

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (unaudited) (continued)

 

Distributions: Distributions paid by the Fund are recorded on the ex-dividend dates. The portion of distributions, if any, that exceeds a fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, as measured on a tax basis, constitute a non-taxable return of capital. The character and timing of distributions are determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations, which may differ from U.S. GAAP.

Indemnifications: In the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations that provide general indemnification. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown because it involves future potential claims against the Fund, which cannot be predicted with any certainty.

Other: Expenses directly related to the Fund or its classes are charged to the Fund or the applicable class. Expenses directly related to the Fund and other shared expenses prorated to the Fund are allocated daily to each class based on its relative net assets or other appropriate methods. Other operating expenses shared by several funds, including other funds managed by the Manager, are prorated among those funds on the basis of relative net assets or other appropriate methods.

The Fund has an arrangement with its custodian whereby credits are earned on uninvested cash balances, which could be used to reduce custody fees and/or overdraft charges. The Fund may incur charges on overdrafts, subject to certain conditions.

 

3.

INVESTMENT VALUATION AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Investment Valuation Policies: The Fund’s investments are valued at fair value (also referred to as “market value” within the financial statements) each day that the Fund is open for business and, for financial reporting purposes, as of the report date. U.S. GAAP defines fair value as the price a fund would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has approved the designation of the Fund’s Manager as the valuation designee for the Fund. The Fund determines the fair values of its financial instruments using various independent dealers or pricing services under the Manager’s policies. If a security’s market price is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately represent the fair value of the security, the security will be valued in accordance with the Manager’s policies and procedures as reflecting fair value. The Manager has formed a committee (the “Valuation Committee”) to develop pricing policies and procedures and to oversee the pricing function for all financial instruments, with assistance from other BlackRock pricing committees.

Fair Value Inputs and Methodologies: The following methods and inputs are used to establish the fair value of the Fund’s assets and liabilities:

 

   

Equity investments traded on a recognized securities exchange are valued at that day’s official closing price, as applicable, on the exchange where the stock is primarily traded. Equity investments traded on a recognized exchange for which there were no sales on that day may be valued at the last available bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price.

 

   

Investments in open-end U.S. mutual funds (including money market funds) are valued at that day’s published net asset value (“NAV”).

 

   

The Fund values its investment in SL Liquidity Series, LLC, Money Market Series (the “Money Market Series”) at fair value, which is ordinarily based upon its pro rata ownership in the underlying fund’s net assets.

 

   

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are valued at the mean between the bid and ask prices and are determined as of the close of trading on the NYSE based on that day’s prevailing forward exchange rate for the underlying currencies.

Generally, trading in foreign instruments is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of trading on the NYSE. Each business day, the Fund uses current market factors supplied by independent pricing services to value certain foreign instruments (“Systematic Fair Value Price”). The Systematic Fair Value Price is designed to value such foreign securities at fair value as of the close of trading on the NYSE, which follows the close of the local markets.

If events (e.g., market volatility, company announcement or a natural disaster) occur that are expected to materially affect the value of such investment, or in the event that application of these methods of valuation results in a price for an investment that is deemed not to be representative of the market value of such investment, or if a price is not available, the investment will be valued by the Valuation Committee in accordance with the Manager’s policies and procedures as reflecting fair value (“Fair Valued Investments”). The fair valuation approaches that may be used by the Valuation Committee include market approach, income approach and cost approach. Valuation techniques such as discounted cash flow, use of market comparables and matrix pricing are types of valuation approaches and are typically used in determining fair value. When determining the price for Fair Valued Investments, the Valuation Committee seeks to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive or pay from the current sale or purchase of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction. Fair value determinations shall be based upon all available factors that the Valuation Committee deems relevant and consistent with the principles of fair value measurement.

Fair Value Hierarchy: Various inputs are used in determining the fair value of financial instruments. These inputs to valuation techniques are categorized into a fair value hierarchy consisting of three broad levels for financial reporting purposes as follows:

 

   

Level 1 – Unadjusted price quotations in active markets/exchanges for identical assets or liabilities that the Fund has the ability to access;

 

   

Level 2 – Other observable inputs (including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in markets that are active, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the assets or liabilities (such as interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks and default rates) or other market–corroborated inputs); and

 

   

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs based on the best information available in the circumstances, to the extent observable inputs are not available (including the Valuation Committee’s assumptions used in determining the fair value of financial instruments).

The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3. The inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the fair value hierarchy classification is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. Investments classified within Level 3 have significant unobservable inputs used by the Valuation Committee in determining the price for Fair Valued Investments. Level 3 investments include equity or debt issued by privately held companies or

 

 

N O T E ST O  F I N A N C I A L  S T A T E M E N T S

  19


Notes to Financial Statements (unaudited) (continued)

 

funds that may not have a secondary market and/or may have a limited number of investors. The categorization of a value determined for financial instruments is based on the pricing transparency of the financial instruments and is not necessarily an indication of the risks associated with investing in those securities.

 

4.

SECURITIES AND OTHER INVESTMENTS

Securities Lending: The Fund may lend its securities to approved borrowers, such as brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. The borrower pledges and maintains with the Fund collateral consisting of cash, an irrevocable letter of credit issued by a bank, or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. The initial collateral received by the Fund is required to have a value of at least 102% of the current value of the loaned securities for securities traded on U.S. exchanges and a value of at least 105% for all other securities. The collateral is maintained thereafter at a value equal to at least 100% of the current market value of the securities on loan. The market value of the loaned securities is determined at the close of each business day of the Fund and any additional required collateral is delivered to the Fund, or excess collateral returned by the Fund, on the next business day. During the term of the loan, the Fund is entitled to all distributions made on or in respect of the loaned securities, but does not receive interest income on securities received as collateral. Loans of securities are terminable at any time and the borrower, after notice, is required to return borrowed securities within the standard time period for settlement of securities transactions.

As of period end, any securities on loan were collateralized by cash and/or U.S. Government obligations. Cash collateral invested by the securities lending agent, BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BIM”), if any, is disclosed in the Schedule of Investments. Any non-cash collateral received cannot be sold, re-invested or pledged by the Fund, except in the event of borrower default. The securities on loan, if any, are disclosed in the Fund’s Schedule of Investments. The market value of any securities on loan and the value of related collateral, if any, are shown separately in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as a component of investments at value – unaffiliated and collateral on securities loaned, respectively.

Securities lending transactions are entered into by the Fund under Master Securities Lending Agreements (each, an “MSLA”), which provide the right, in the event of default (including bankruptcy or insolvency), for the non-defaulting party to liquidate the collateral and calculate a net exposure to the defaulting party or request additional collateral. In the event that a borrower defaults, the Fund, as lender, would offset the market value of the collateral received against the market value of the securities loaned. When the value of the collateral is greater than that of the market value of the securities loaned, the lender is left with a net amount payable to the defaulting party. However, bankruptcy or insolvency laws of a particular jurisdiction may impose restrictions on or prohibitions against such a right of offset in the event of an MSLA counterparty’s bankruptcy or insolvency. Under the MSLA, absent an event of default, the borrower can resell or re-pledge the loaned securities, and the Fund can reinvest cash collateral received in connection with loaned securities. Upon an event of default, the parties’ obligations to return the securities or collateral to the other party are extinguished, and the parties can resell or re-pledge the loaned securities or the collateral received in connection with the loaned securities in order to satisfy the defaulting party’s net payment obligation for all transactions under the MSLA. The defaulting party remains liable for any deficiency.

As of period end, the following table is a summary of the Fund’s securities on loan by counterparty which are subject to offset under an MSLA:

 

         

Counterparty

   
Securities
Loaned at Value
 
 
    
Cash
Collateral Received
 
(a) 
   
Non-Cash
Collateral Received
 
(a) 
   
Net
Amount
 
 

Barclays Capital, Inc.

  $ 1,628,523      $ (1,628,523   $     $  
 

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

Collateral received, if any, in excess of the market value of securities on loan is not presented in this table. The total cash collateral received by the Fund is disclosed in the Fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

 

The risks of securities lending include the risk that the borrower may not provide additional collateral when required or may not return the securities when due. To mitigate these risks, the Fund benefits from a borrower default indemnity provided by BIM. BIM’s indemnity allows for full replacement of the securities loaned to the extent the collateral received does not cover the value on the securities loaned in the event of borrower default. The Fund could incur a loss if the value of an investment purchased with cash collateral falls below the market value of loaned securities or if the value of an investment purchased with cash collateral falls below the value of the original cash collateral received. Such losses are borne entirely by the Fund.

 

5.

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Fund engages in various portfolio investment strategies using derivative contracts both to increase the returns of the Fund and/or to manage its exposure to certain risks such as credit risk, equity risk, interest rate risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk, commodity price risk or other risks (e.g., inflation risk). Derivative financial instruments categorized by risk exposure are included in the Schedule of Investments. These contracts may be transacted on an exchange or over-the-counter (“OTC”).

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts: Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are entered into to gain or reduce exposure to foreign currencies (foreign currency exchange rate risk).

A forward foreign currency exchange contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a currency at a set exchange rate on a specified date. These contracts help to manage the overall exposure to the currencies in which some of the investments held by the Fund are denominated and in some cases, may be used to obtain exposure to a particular market. The contracts are traded OTC and not on an organized exchange.

The contract is marked-to-market daily and the change in market value is recorded as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. When a contract is closed, a realized gain or loss is recorded in the Statement of Operations equal to the difference between the value at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed. Non-deliverable forward foreign currency exchange contracts are settled with the counterparty in cash without the delivery of foreign currency. The use of forward foreign currency exchange contracts involves the risk that the value of a forward foreign currency exchange contract changes unfavorably due to movements in the value of the referenced foreign currencies, and such value may exceed the amount(s) reflected in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Cash amounts pledged for forward

 

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (unaudited) (continued)

 

foreign currency exchange contracts are considered restricted and are included in cash pledged as collateral for OTC derivatives in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. A Fund’s risk of loss from counterparty credit risk on OTC derivatives is generally limited to the aggregate unrealized gain netted against any collateral held by the Fund.

Swaps: Swap contracts are entered into to manage exposure to issuers, markets and securities. Such contracts are agreements between the Fund and a counterparty to make periodic net payments on a specified notional amount or a net payment upon termination. Swap agreements are privately negotiated in the OTC market and may be entered into as a bilateral contract (“OTC swaps”) or centrally cleared (“centrally cleared swaps”).

For OTC swaps, any upfront premiums paid and any upfront fees received are shown as swap premiums paid and swap premiums received, respectively, in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and amortized over the term of the contract. The daily fluctuation in market value is recorded as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on OTC Swaps in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Payments received or paid are recorded in the Statement of Operations as realized gains or losses, respectively. When an OTC swap is terminated, a realized gain or loss is recorded in the Statement of Operations equal to the difference between the proceeds from (or cost of) the closing transaction and the Fund’s basis in the contract, if any. Generally, the basis of the contract is the premium received or paid.

 

   

Total return swaps — Total return swaps are entered into to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning such security or investing directly in such market or to exchange the risk/return of one security or market (e.g., fixed-income) with another security or market (e.g., equity or commodity prices) (equity risk, commodity price risk and/or interest rate risk).

Total return swaps are agreements in which there is an exchange of cash flows whereby one party commits to make payments based on the total return (distributions plus capital gains/losses) of an underlying instrument, or basket of underlying instruments, in exchange for fixed or floating rate interest payments. If the total return of the instrument(s) or index underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the offsetting fixed or floating interest rate obligation, the Fund receives payment from or makes a payment to the counterparty.

Certain total return swaps are designed to function as a portfolio of direct investments in long and short equity positions. This means that the Fund has the ability to trade in and out of these long and short positions within the swap and will receive the economic benefits and risks equivalent to direct investment in these positions, subject to certain adjustments due to events related to the counterparty. Benefits and risks include capital appreciation (depreciation), corporate actions and dividends received and paid, all of which are reflected in the swap’s market value. The market value also includes interest charges and credits (“financing fees”) related to the notional values of the long and short positions and cash balances within the swap. These interest charges and credits are based on a specified benchmark rate plus or minus a specified spread determined based upon the country and/or currency of the positions in the portfolio.

Positions within the swap and financing fees are reset periodically. During a reset, any unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on positions and accrued financing fees become available for cash settlement between the Fund and the counterparty. The amounts that are available for cash settlement are recorded as realized gains or losses in the Statement of Operations. Cash settlement in and out of the swap may occur at a reset date or any other date, at the discretion of the Fund and the counterparty, over the life of the agreement. Certain swaps have no stated expiration and can be terminated by either party at any time.

Swap transactions involve, to varying degrees, elements of interest rate, credit and market risks in excess of the amounts recognized in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Such risks involve the possibility that there will be no liquid market for these agreements, that the counterparty to the agreements may default on its obligation to perform or disagree as to the meaning of the contractual terms in the agreements, and that there may be unfavorable changes in interest rates and/or market values associated with these transactions.

Master Netting Arrangements: In order to define its contractual rights and to secure rights that will help it mitigate its counterparty risk, the Fund may enter into an International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreement (“ISDA Master Agreement”) or similar agreement with its counterparties. An ISDA Master Agreement is a bilateral agreement between a Fund and a counterparty that governs certain OTC derivatives and typically contains, among other things, collateral posting terms and netting provisions in the event of a default and/or termination event. Under an ISDA Master Agreement, a Fund may, under certain circumstances, offset with the counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment. The provisions of the ISDA Master Agreement typically permit a single net payment in the event of default including the bankruptcy or insolvency of the counterparty. However, bankruptcy or insolvency laws of a particular jurisdiction may impose restrictions on or prohibitions against the right of offset in bankruptcy, insolvency or other events.

Collateral Requirements: For derivatives traded under an ISDA Master Agreement, the collateral requirements are typically calculated by netting the mark-to-market amount for each transaction under such agreement and comparing that amount to the value of any collateral currently pledged by the Fund and the counterparty.

Cash collateral that has been pledged to cover obligations of the Fund and cash collateral received from the counterparty, if any, is reported separately in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as cash pledged as collateral and cash received as collateral, respectively. Non-cash collateral pledged by the Fund, if any, is noted in the Schedule of Investments. Generally, the amount of collateral due from or to a counterparty is subject to a certain minimum transfer amount threshold before a transfer is required, which is determined at the close of business of the Fund. Any additional required collateral is delivered to/pledged by the Fund on the next business day. Typically, the counterparty is not permitted to sell, re-pledge or use cash and non-cash collateral it receives. The Fund generally agrees not to use non-cash collateral that it receives but may, absent default or certain other circumstances defined in the underlying ISDA Master Agreement, be permitted to use cash collateral received. In such cases, interest may be paid pursuant to the collateral arrangement with the counterparty. To the extent amounts due to the Fund from the counterparties are not fully collateralized, the Fund bears the risk of loss from counterparty non-performance. Likewise, to the extent the Fund has delivered collateral to a counterparty and stands ready to perform under the terms of its agreement with such counterparty, the Fund bears the risk of loss from a counterparty in the amount of the value of the collateral in the event the counterparty fails to return such collateral. Based on the terms of agreements, collateral may not be required for all derivative contracts.

For financial reporting purposes, the Fund does not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to netting arrangements, if any, in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

 

 

N O T E ST O  F I N A N C I A L  S T A T E M E N T S

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Notes to Financial Statements (unaudited) (continued)

 

6.

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Investment Advisory: The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement with the Manager, the Fund’s investment adviser and an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”), to provide investment advisory services. The Manager is responsible for the management of the Fund’s portfolio and provides the personnel, facilities, equipment and certain other services necessary to the operations of the Fund.

For such services, the Fund pays the Manager a monthly fee at an annual rate equal to the following percentages of the average daily value of the Fund’s net assets:

 

   
Average Daily Net Assets    Investment Advisory Fees 

First $1 billion

   0.75%

$1 billion - $3 billion 

   0.71 

$3 billion - $5 billion 

   0.68 

$5 billion - $10 billion 

   0.65 

Greater than $10 billion

   0.64 

The Manager entered into a sub-advisory agreement with each of BlackRock International Limited (“BIL”) and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (“BRS”) (collectively, the “Sub-Advisers”), each an affiliate of the Manager. The Manager pays BIL and BRS for services they provide for that portion of the Fund for which BIL and BRS, as applicable, acts as sub-adviser, a monthly fee that is equal to a percentage of the investment advisory fees paid by the Fund to the Manager.

Service and Distribution Fees: The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, entered into a Distribution Agreement and a Distribution and Service Plan with BlackRock Investments, LLC (“BRIL”), an affiliate of the Manager. Pursuant to the Distribution and Service Plan and in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund pays BRIL ongoing service and distribution fees. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly at annual rates based upon the average daily net assets of the relevant share class of the Fund as follows:

 

     
Share Class   Service Fees      Distribution Fees 

Investor A

  0.25%    N/A 

Investor C

  0.25     0.75%

BRIL and broker-dealers, pursuant to sub-agreements with BRIL, provide shareholder servicing and distribution services to the Fund. The ongoing service and/or distribution fee compensates BRIL and each broker-dealer for providing shareholder servicing and/or distribution related services to shareholders.

For the six months ended July 31, 2023, the following table shows the class specific service and distribution fees borne directly by each share class of the Fund:

 

           
      Investor A              Investor C              Total  

Service and distribution — class specific

   $ 29,049               $ 13,419               $ 42,468  

Administration: The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, entered into an Administration Agreement with the Manager, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, to provide administrative services. For these services, the Manager receives an administration fee computed daily and payable monthly, based on a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund. The administration fee, which is shown as administration in the Statement of Operations, is paid at the annual rates below.

 

   
Average Daily Net Assets    Administration Fees 

First $500 million

   0.0425%

$500 million - $1 billion

   0.0400 

$1 billion - $2 billion

   0.0375 

$2 billion - $4 billion

   0.0350 

$4 billion - $13 billion

   0.0325 

Greater than $13 billion

   0.0300 

In addition, the Manager charges each of the share classes an administration fee, which is shown as administration — class specific in the Statement of Operations, at an annual rate of 0.02% of the average daily net assets of each respective class.

For the six months ended July 31, 2023, the Fund paid the following to the Manager in return for these services, which are included in administration and administration — class specific in the Statement of Operations:

 

               
     Institutional             Investor A              Investor C              Total  

Administration — class specific

  $ 33,049              $ 2,347               $ 269               $ 35,665  

Transfer Agent: Pursuant to written agreements, certain financial intermediaries, some of which may be affiliates, provide the Fund with sub-accounting, recordkeeping, sub-transfer agency and other administrative services with respect to servicing of underlying investor accounts. For these services, these entities receive an asset-based fee or an annual fee per shareholder account, which will vary depending on share class and/or net assets. For the six months ended July 31, 2023, the Fund paid $94,154 for the Fund’s Institutional Shares to affiliates of BlackRock in return for these services, which are included in transfer agent — class specific in the Statement of Operations.

 

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (unaudited) (continued)

 

The Manager maintains a call center that is responsible for providing certain shareholder services to the Fund. Shareholder services include responding to inquiries and processing purchases and sales based upon instructions from shareholders. For the six months ended July 31, 2023, the Fund reimbursed the Manager $1,552 for costs incurred in running the call center for the Fund’s Institutional Shares, which are included in transfer agent — class specific in the Statement of Operations.

For the six months ended July 31, 2023, the following table shows the class specific transfer agent fees borne directly by each share class of the Fund:

 

               
     Institutional             Investor A              Investor C              Total  

Transfer agent — class specific

  $ 259,882              $ 10,213               $ 2,568               $ 272,663  

Other Fees: For the six months ended July 31, 2023, affiliates earned underwriting discounts, direct commissions and dealer concessions on sales of the Fund’s Investor A Shares for a total of $2,400.

For the six months ended July 31, 2023, affiliates received CDSCs in the amount of $438 and $112 for Investor A Shares and Investor C Shares, respectively.

Expense Limitations, Waivers and Reimbursements: The Manager contractually agreed to waive its investment advisory fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to the Manager indirectly through its investment in affiliated money market funds (the “affiliated money market fund waiver”) through June 30, 2024. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees”), or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The amount of waivers and/or reimbursements of fees and expenses made pursuant to the expense limitation described below will be reduced by the amount of the affiliated money market fund waiver. This amount is included in fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager in the Statement of Operations. For the six months ended July 31, 2023, the amount waived was $2,693.

The Manager has contractually agreed to waive its investment advisory fee with respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets invested in affiliated equity and fixed-income mutual funds and affiliated exchange-traded funds that have a contractual management fee through June 30, 2024. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. For the six months ended July 31, 2023, there were no fees waived by the Manager pursuant to this arrangement.

The Manager contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit expenses, excluding interest expense, dividend expense, tax expense, acquired fund fees and expenses, and certain other fund expenses, which constitute extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business (“expense limitation”). The expense limitations as a percentage of average daily net assets are as follows:

 

     
Institutional    Investor A      Investor C  

   0.75%

   1.00%    1.75%

The Manager has agreed not to reduce or discontinue the contractual expense limitations through June 30, 2024 unless approved by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. For the six months ended July 31, 2023, the Manager waived and/or reimbursed investment advisory fees of $264,299, which is included in fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager in the Statement of Operations.

In addition, these amounts waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager are included in administration fees waived by the Manager — class specific and transfer agent fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager — class specific, respectively, in the Statement of Operations. For the six months ended July 31, 2023, class specific expense waivers and/or reimbursements were as follows:

 

               
     Institutional          Investor A           Investor C           Total  

Administration fees waived by the Manager — class specific

  $ 33,049        $ 2,347         $ 269         $ 35,665  

Transfer agent fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager — class specific

    257,867                9,790                 2,553                 270,210  

Securities Lending: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has issued an exemptive order which permits BIM, an affiliate of the Manager, to serve as securities lending agent for the Fund, subject to applicable conditions. As securities lending agent, BIM bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. The Fund is responsible for expenses in connection with the investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan (the “collateral investment expenses”). The cash collateral is invested in a private investment company, Money Market Series, managed by the Manager or its affiliates. However, BIM has agreed to cap the collateral investment expenses of the Money Market Series to an annual rate of 0.04%. The investment adviser to the Money Market Series will not charge any advisory fees with respect to shares purchased by the Fund. The Money Market Series may, under certain circumstances, impose a liquidity fee of up to 2% of the value withdrawn or temporarily restrict withdrawals for up to 10 business days during a 90 day period, in the event that the private investment company’s weekly liquid assets fall below certain thresholds. The Money Market Series seeks current income consistent with maintaining liquidity and preserving capital. Although the Money Market Series is not registered under the 1940 Act, its investments may follow the parameters of investments by a money market fund that is subject to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act.

Securities lending income is equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral, net of fees and other payments to and from borrowers of securities, and less the collateral investment expenses. The Fund retains a portion of securities lending income and remits a remaining portion to BIM as compensation for its services as securities lending agent.

Pursuant to the current securities lending agreement, the Fund retains 81% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment expenses), and this amount retained can never be less than 70% of the total of securities lending income plus the collateral investment expenses.

In addition, commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income earned across the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex in a calendar year exceeds a specified threshold, the Fund, pursuant to the securities lending agreement, will retain for the remainder of that calendar year securities lending income in an

 

 

N O T E ST O  F I N A N C I A L  S T A T E M E N T S

  23


Notes to Financial Statements (unaudited) (continued)

 

amount equal to 81% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment expenses), and this amount retained can never be less than 70% of the total of securities lending income plus the collateral investment expenses.

The share of securities lending income earned by the Fund is shown as securities lending income — affiliated — net in the Statement of Operations. For the six months ended July 31, 2023, the Fund paid BIM $35 for securities lending agent services.

Interfund Lending: In accordance with an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC, the Fund may participate in a joint lending and borrowing facility for temporary purposes (the “Interfund Lending Program”), subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the Order, and to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions. The Fund is currently permitted to borrow and lend under the Interfund Lending Program.

A lending BlackRock fund may lend in aggregate up to 15% of its net assets but may not lend more than 5% of its net assets to any one borrowing fund through the Interfund Lending Program. A borrowing BlackRock fund may not borrow through the Interfund Lending Program or from any other source more than 33 1/3% of its total assets (or any lower threshold provided for by the fund’s investment restrictions). If a borrowing BlackRock fund’s total outstanding borrowings exceed 10% of its total assets, each of its outstanding interfund loans will be subject to collateralization of at least 102% of the outstanding principal value of the loan. All interfund loans are for temporary or emergency purposes and the interest rate to be charged will be the average of the highest current overnight repurchase agreement rate available to a lending fund and the bank loan rate, as calculated according to a formula established by the Board.

During the six months ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not participate in the Interfund Lending Program.

Trustees and Officers: Certain trustees and/or officers of the Trust are directors and/or officers of BlackRock or its affiliates. The Fund reimburses the Manager for a portion of the compensation paid to the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer, which is included in Trustees and Officer in the Statement of Operations.

 

7.

PURCHASES AND SALES

For the six months ended July 31, 2023, purchases and sales of investments, excluding short-term securities, were $141,334,634 and $273,923,583, respectively.

 

8.

INCOME TAX INFORMATION

It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, applicable to regulated investment companies, and to distribute substantially all of its taxable income to its shareholders. Therefore, no U.S. federal income tax provision is required.

The Fund files U.S. federal and various state and local tax returns. No income tax returns are currently under examination. The statute of limitations on the Fund’s U.S. federal tax returns generally remains open for a period of three years after they are filed. The statutes of limitations on the Fund’s state and local tax returns may remain open for an additional year depending upon the jurisdiction.

Management has analyzed tax laws and regulations and their application to the Fund as of July 31, 2023, inclusive of the open tax return years, and does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability in the Fund’s financial statements.

As of January 31, 2023, the Fund had non-expiring capital loss carryforwards available to offset future realized capital gains and qualified late-year losses of $18,141,238 and $303,685.

As of July 31, 2023, gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation based on cost of investments (including short positions and derivatives, if any) for U.S. federal income tax purposes were as follows:

 

Fund Name   Tax Cost      Gross Unrealized
Appreciation
     Gross Unrealized
Depreciation
    Net Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

  $ 300,174,679      $ 18,539,893      $ (10,795,440   $ 7,744,453  

 

 

 

9.

BANK BORROWINGS

The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, along with certain other funds managed by the Manager and its affiliates (“Participating Funds”), is party to a 364-day, $2.50 billion credit agreement with a group of lenders. Under this agreement, the Fund may borrow to fund shareholder redemptions. Excluding commitments designated for certain individual funds, the Participating Funds, including the Fund, can borrow up to an aggregate commitment amount of $1.75 billion at any time outstanding, subject to asset coverage and other limitations as specified in the agreement. The credit agreement has the following terms: a fee of 0.10% per annum on unused commitment amounts and interest at a rate equal to the higher of (a) Overnight Bank Funding Rate (“OBFR”) (but, in any event, not less than 0.00%) on the date the loan is made plus 0.80% per annum, (b) the Fed Funds rate (but, in any event, not less than 0.00%) in effect from time to time plus 0.80% per annum on amounts borrowed or (c) the sum of (x) Daily Simple Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) (but, in any event, not less than 0.00%) on the date the loan is made plus 0.10% and (y) 0.80% per annum. The agreement expires in April 2024 unless extended or renewed. These fees were allocated among such funds based upon portions of the aggregate commitment available to them and relative net assets of Participating Funds. During the six months ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not borrow under the credit agreement.

 

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (unaudited) (continued)

 

10.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

In the normal course of business, the Fund invests in securities or other instruments and may enter into certain transactions, and such activities subject the Fund to various risks, including among others, fluctuations in the market (market risk) or failure of an issuer to meet all of its obligations. The value of securities or other instruments may also be affected by various factors, including, without limitation: (i) the general economy; (ii) the overall market as well as local, regional or global political and/or social instability; (iii) regulation, taxation or international tax treaties between various countries; or (iv) currency, interest rate and price fluctuations. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments. The Fund’s prospectus provides details of the risks to which the Fund is subject.

The Fund may be exposed to additional risks when reinvesting cash collateral in money market funds that do not seek to maintain a stable NAV per share of $1.00, which may be subject to redemption gates or liquidity fees under certain circumstances.

Infectious Illness Risk: An outbreak of an infectious illness, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may adversely impact the economies of many nations and the global economy, and may impact individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot be foreseen. An infectious illness outbreak may result in, among other things, closed international borders, prolonged quarantines, supply chain disruptions, market volatility or disruptions and other significant economic, social and political impacts.

Valuation Risk: The market values of equities, such as common stocks and preferred securities or equity related investments, such as futures and options, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries. The Fund may invest in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The Fund may experience difficulty in selling illiquid investments in a timely manner at the price that it believes the investments are worth. Prices may fluctuate widely over short or extended periods in response to company, market or economic news. Markets also tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. This volatility may cause the Fund’s NAV to experience significant increases or decreases over short periods of time. If there is a general decline in the securities and other markets, the NAV of the Fund may lose value, regardless of the individual results of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests.

Counterparty Credit Risk: The Fund may be exposed to counterparty credit risk, or the risk that an entity may fail to or be unable to perform on its commitments related to unsettled or open transactions, including making timely interest and/or principal payments or otherwise honoring its obligations. The Fund manages counterparty credit risk by entering into transactions only with counterparties that the Manager believes have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by monitoring the financial stability of those counterparties. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Fund to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks, consist principally of financial instruments and receivables due from counterparties. The extent of the Fund’s exposure to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks with respect to these financial assets is approximately their value recorded in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities, less any collateral held by the Fund.

A derivative contract may suffer a mark-to-market loss if the value of the contract decreases due to an unfavorable change in the market rates or values of the underlying instrument. Losses can also occur if the counterparty does not perform under the contract.

Geographic/Asset Class Risk: A diversified portfolio, where this is appropriate and consistent with a fund’s objectives, minimizes the risk that a price change of a particular investment will have a material impact on the NAV of a fund. The investment concentrations within the Fund’s portfolio are disclosed in its Schedule of Investments.

The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities within a single or limited number of market sectors. When a Fund concentrates its investments in this manner, it assumes the risk that economic, regulatory, political and social conditions affecting such sectors may have a significant impact on the Fund and could affect the income from, or the value or liquidity of, the Fund’s portfolio. Investment percentages in specific sectors are presented in the Schedule of Investments.

The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers located in the United States. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations, inflation and/or an economic recession in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. Proposed and adopted policy and legislative changes in the United States may also have a significant effect on U.S. markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities. Governmental agencies project that the United States will continue to maintain elevated public debt levels for the foreseeable future which may constrain future economic growth. Circumstances could arise that could prevent the timely payment of interest or principal on U.S. government debt, such as reaching the legislative “debt ceiling.” Such non-payment would result in substantial negative consequences for the U.S. economy and the global financial system. If U.S. relations with certain countries deteriorate, it could adversely affect issuers that rely on the United States for trade. The United States has also experienced increased internal unrest and discord. If these trends were to continue, they may have an adverse impact on the U.S. economy and the issuers in which the Fund invests.

Significant Shareholder Redemption Risk: Certain shareholders may own or manage a substantial amount of fund shares and/or hold their fund investments for a limited period of time. Large redemptions of fund shares by these shareholders may force a fund to sell portfolio securities, which may negatively impact the fund’s NAV, increase the fund’s brokerage costs, and/or accelerate the realization of taxable income/gains and cause the fund to make additional taxable distributions to shareholders.

 

 

N O T E ST O  F I N A N C I A L  S T A T E M E N T S

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Notes to Financial Statements (unaudited) (continued)

 

11.

CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS

Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

       
    Six Months Ended 07/31/23          Year Ended 01/31/23  
 Share Class   Shares     Amount             Shares     Amount  

Institutional

          

Shares sold

    5,700,925     $    77,466,502          16,427,499     $   247,854,286  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    370,841       5,093,518          1,231,301       17,712,780  

Shares redeemed

    (15,690,958     (213,049,113        (16,857,912     (246,309,212
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 
    (9,619,192   $ (130,489,093        800,888     $ 19,257,854  
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investor A

          

Shares sold and automatic conversion of shares

    235,995     $ 3,230,272          462,949     $ 7,196,796  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    23,891       329,635          62,474       899,001  

Shares redeemed

    (225,258     (3,077,974        (737,884     (12,082,342
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 
    34,628     $ 481,933          (212,461   $ (3,986,545
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investor C

          

Shares sold

    6,603     $ 91,517          33,953     $ 532,536  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    2,011       27,432          6,583       93,897  

Shares redeemed and automatic conversion of shares

    (23,888     (320,750        (67,237     (1,040,330
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 
    (15,274   $ (201,801        (26,701   $ (413,897
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 
    (9,599,838   $ (130,208,961        561,726     $ 14,857,412  
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

12.

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Management has evaluated the impact of all subsequent events on the Fund through the date the financial statements were issued and has determined that there were no subsequent events requiring adjustment or additional disclosure in the financial statements.

 

 

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Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory  Agreements

 

The Board of Trustees (the “Board,” the members of which are referred to as “Board Members”) of BlackRock Funds (the “Trust”) met on April 18, 2023 (the “April Meeting”) and May 23-24, 2023 (the “May Meeting”) to consider the approval to continue the investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) between the Trust, on behalf of BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund (the “Fund”), and BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Manager”), the Fund’s investment advisor.

The Board also considered the approval to continue the sub-advisory agreement between the Manager and BlackRock International Limited (“BIL”) with respect to the Fund (the “BIL Sub-Advisory Agreement”) and the sub-advisory agreement between the Manager and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (“BRS” and, together with BIL, the “Sub-Advisors”) with respect to the Fund (the “BRS Sub-Advisory Agreement” and, together with the BIL Sub-Advisory Agreement, the “Sub-Advisory Agreements”). The Manager and the Sub-Advisors are referred to herein as “BlackRock.” The Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreements are referred to herein as the “Agreements.”

The Approval Process

Consistent with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), the Board considers the approval of the continuation of the Agreements for the Fund on an annual basis. The Board members who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, are considered independent Board members (the “Independent Board Members”). The Board’s consideration entailed a year-long deliberative process during which the Board and its committees assessed BlackRock’s various services to the Fund, including through the review of written materials and oral presentations, and the review of additional information provided in response to requests from the Independent Board Members. The Board had four quarterly meetings per year, each of which extended over a two-day period, as well as additional ad hoc meetings and executive sessions throughout the year, as needed. The committees of the Board similarly met throughout the year. The Board also had an additional one-day meeting to consider specific information regarding the renewal of the Agreements. In considering the renewal of the Agreements, the Board assessed, among other things, the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund by BlackRock, BlackRock’s personnel and affiliates, including (as applicable): investment management services; accounting oversight; administrative and shareholder services; oversight of the Fund’s service providers; risk management and oversight; and legal, regulatory and compliance services. Throughout the year, including during the contract renewal process, the Independent Board Members were advised by independent legal counsel, and met with independent legal counsel in various executive sessions outside of the presence of BlackRock’s management.

During the year, the Board, acting directly and through its committees, considered information that was relevant to its annual consideration of the renewal of the Agreements, including the services and support provided by BlackRock to the Fund and its shareholders. BlackRock also furnished additional information to the Board in response to specific questions from the Board. Among the matters the Board considered were: (a) investment performance for one-year, three-year, five-year, and/or since inception periods, as applicable, against peer funds, relevant benchmarks, and other performance metrics, as applicable, as well as BlackRock senior management’s and portfolio managers’ analyses of the reasons for any outperformance or underperformance relative to its peers, benchmarks, and other performance metrics, as applicable; (b) fees, including advisory, administration, if applicable, and other amounts paid to BlackRock and its affiliates by the Fund for services; (c) Fund operating expenses and how BlackRock allocates expenses to the Fund; (d) the resources devoted to, risk oversight of, and compliance reports relating to, implementation of the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions, and meeting regulatory requirements; (e) BlackRock’s and the Fund’s adherence to applicable compliance policies and procedures; (f) the nature, character and scope of non-investment management services provided by BlackRock and its affiliates and the estimated cost of such services, as available; (g) BlackRock’s and other service providers’ internal controls and risk and compliance oversight mechanisms; (h) BlackRock’s implementation of the proxy voting policies approved by the Board; (i) the use of brokerage commissions and execution quality of portfolio transactions; (j) BlackRock’s implementation of the Fund’s valuation and liquidity procedures; (k) an analysis of management fees paid to BlackRock for products with similar investment mandates across the open-end fund, exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), closed-end fund, sub-advised mutual fund, separately managed account, collective investment trust, and institutional separate account product channels, as applicable, and the similarities and differences between these products and the services provided as compared to the Fund; (l) BlackRock’s compensation methodology for its investment professionals and the incentives and accountability it creates, along with investment professionals’ investments in the fund(s) they manage; and (m) periodic updates on BlackRock’s business.

Prior to and in preparation for the April Meeting, the Board received and reviewed materials specifically relating to the renewal of the Agreements. The Independent Board Members are continuously engaged in a process with their independent legal counsel and BlackRock to review the nature and scope of the information provided to the Board to better assist its deliberations. The materials provided in connection with the April Meeting included, among other things: (a) information independently compiled and prepared by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”), based on either a Lipper classification or Morningstar category, regarding the Fund’s fees and expenses as compared with a peer group of funds as determined by Broadridge (“Expense Peers”) and the investment performance of the Fund as compared with a peer group of funds (“Performance Peers”); (b) information on the composition of the Expense Peers and Performance Peers and a description of Broadridge’s methodology; (c) information on the estimated profits realized by BlackRock and its affiliates pursuant to the Agreements and a discussion of fall-out benefits to BlackRock and its affiliates; (d) a general analysis provided by BlackRock concerning investment management fees received in connection with other types of investment products, such as institutional accounts, sub-advised mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds, open-end funds, and separately managed accounts, under similar investment mandates, as well as the performance of such other products, as applicable; (e) a review of non-management fees; (f) the existence, impact and sharing of potential economies of scale, if any, with the Fund; (g) a summary of aggregate amounts paid by the Fund to BlackRock; (h) sales and redemption data regarding the Fund’s shares; and (i) various additional information requested by the Board as appropriate regarding BlackRock’s and the Fund’s operations.

At the April Meeting, the Board reviewed materials relating to its consideration of the Agreements and the Independent Board Members presented BlackRock with questions and requests for additional information. BlackRock responded to these questions and requests with additional written information in advance of the May Meeting.

At the May Meeting, the Board concluded its assessment of, among other things: (a) the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by BlackRock; (b) the investment performance of the Fund as compared to its Performance Peers and to other metrics, as applicable; (c) the advisory fee and the estimated cost of the services and estimated profits realized by BlackRock and its affiliates from their relationship with the Fund; (d) the Fund’s fees and expenses compared to its Expense Peers; (e) the existence and sharing of potential economies of scale; (f) any fall-out benefits to BlackRock and its affiliates as a result of BlackRock’s relationship with the Fund; and (g) other factors deemed relevant by the Board Members.

The Board also considered other matters it deemed important to the approval process, such as other payments made to BlackRock or its affiliates relating to securities lending and cash management, and BlackRock’s services related to the valuation and pricing of Fund portfolio holdings. The Board noted the willingness of BlackRock’s personnel to engage in open, candid discussions with the Board. The Board Members evaluated the information available to it on a fund-by-fund basis. The following paragraphs provide

 

 

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Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreements (continued)

 

more information about some of the primary factors that were relevant to the Board’s decision. The Board Members did not identify any particular information, or any single factor as determinative, and each Board Member may have attributed different weights to the various items and factors considered.

A. Nature, Extent and Quality of the Services Provided by BlackRock

The Board, including the Independent Board Members, reviewed the nature, extent and quality of services provided by BlackRock, including the investment advisory services, and the resulting performance of the Fund. Throughout the year, the Board compared Fund performance to the performance of a comparable group of mutual funds, relevant benchmarks, and performance metrics, as applicable. The Board met with BlackRock’s senior management personnel responsible for investment activities, including the senior investment officers. The Board also reviewed the materials provided by the Fund’s portfolio management team discussing the Fund’s performance, investment strategies and outlook.

The Board considered, among other factors, with respect to BlackRock: the experience of investment personnel generally and the Fund’s portfolio management team; research capabilities; investments by portfolio managers in the funds they manage; portfolio trading capabilities; use of technology; commitment to compliance; credit analysis capabilities; risk analysis and oversight capabilities; and the approach to training and retaining portfolio managers and other research, advisory and management personnel. The Board also considered BlackRock’s overall risk management program, including the continued efforts of BlackRock and its affiliates to address cybersecurity risks and the role of BlackRock’s Risk & Quantitative Analysis Group. The Board engaged in a review of BlackRock’s compensation structure with respect to the Fund’s portfolio management team and BlackRock’s ability to attract and retain high-quality talent and create performance incentives.

In addition to investment advisory services, the Board considered the nature and quality of the administrative and other non-investment advisory services provided to the Fund. BlackRock and its affiliates provide the Fund with certain administrative, shareholder and other services (in addition to any such services provided to the Fund by third parties) and officers and other personnel as are necessary for the operations of the Fund. In particular, BlackRock and its affiliates provide the Fund with administrative services including, among others: (i) responsibility for disclosure documents, such as the prospectus, the summary prospectus (as applicable), the statement of additional information and periodic shareholder reports; (ii) oversight of daily accounting and pricing; (iii) responsibility for periodic filings with regulators; (iv) overseeing and coordinating the activities of third-party service providers including, among others, the Fund’s custodian, fund accountant, transfer agent, and auditor; (v) organizing Board meetings and preparing the materials for such Board meetings; (vi) providing legal and compliance support; (vii) furnishing analytical and other support to assist the Board in its consideration of strategic issues such as the merger, consolidation or repurposing of certain open-end funds; and (viii) performing or managing administrative functions necessary for the operation of the Fund, such as tax reporting, expense management, fulfilling regulatory filing requirements, overseeing the Fund’s distribution partners, and shareholder call center and other services. The Board reviewed the structure and duties of BlackRock’s fund administration, shareholder services, and legal and compliance departments and considered BlackRock’s policies and procedures for assuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The Board considered the operation of BlackRock’s business continuity plans.

The Board noted that the engagement of the Sub-Advisors with respect to the Fund facilitates the provision of investment advice and trading by investment personnel out of non-U.S. jurisdictions. The Board considered that this arrangement provides additional flexibility to the portfolio management team, which may benefit the Fund and its shareholders.

B. The Investment Performance of the Fund and BlackRock

The Board, including the Independent Board Members, reviewed and considered the performance history of the Fund throughout the year and at the April Meeting. In preparation for the April Meeting, the Board was provided with reports independently prepared by Broadridge, which included an analysis of the Fund’s performance as of December 31, 2022, as compared to its Performance Peers. Broadridge ranks funds in quartiles, ranging from first to fourth, where first is the most desirable quartile position and fourth is the least desirable. In connection with its review, the Board received and reviewed information regarding the investment performance of the Fund as compared to its Performance Peers and the respective Morningstar Category (“Morningstar Category”). The Board and its Performance Oversight Committee regularly review and meet with Fund management to discuss the performance of the Fund throughout the year.

In evaluating performance, the Board focused particular attention on funds with less favorable performance records. The Board also noted that while it found the data provided by Broadridge generally useful, it recognized the limitations of such data, including in particular, that notable differences may exist between a fund and its Performance Peers (for example, the investment objectives and strategies). Further, the Board recognized that the performance data reflects a snapshot of a period as of a particular date and that selecting a different performance period could produce significantly different results. The Board also acknowledged that long-term performance could be impacted by even one period of significant outperformance or underperformance, and that a single investment theme could have the ability to disproportionately affect long-term performance.

The Board noted that for the one-, three- and five-year periods reported, the Fund ranked in the fourth, second and first quartiles, respectively, against its Morningstar Category. The Board noted that BlackRock believes that the Morningstar Category is an appropriate performance metric for the Fund, and that BlackRock has explained its rationale for this belief to the Board. The Board and BlackRock reviewed the Fund’s underperformance relative to its Morningstar Category during the applicable period.

C. Consideration of the Advisory/Management Fees and the Estimated Cost of the Services and Estimated Profits Realized by BlackRock and its Affiliates from their Relationship with the Fund

The Board, including the Independent Board Members, reviewed the Fund’s contractual management fee rate compared with those of its Expense Peers. The contractual management fee rate represents a combination of the advisory fee and any administrative fees, before taking into account any reimbursements or fee waivers. The Board also compared the Fund’s total expense ratio, as well as its actual management fee rate, to those of its Expense Peers. The total expense ratio represents a fund’s total net operating expenses, including any 12b-1 or non-12b-1 service fees. The total expense ratio gives effect to any expense reimbursements or fee waivers, and the actual management fee rate gives effect to any management fee reimbursements or waivers. The Board considered that the fee and expense information in the Broadridge report for the Fund reflected information for a specific period and that historical asset levels and expenses may differ from current levels, particularly in a period of market volatility.

 

 

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Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreements (continued)

 

The Board considered the services provided and the fees charged by BlackRock and its affiliates to other types of clients with similar investment mandates, as applicable, including institutional accounts and sub-advised mutual funds (including mutual funds sponsored by third parties).

The Board received and reviewed statements relating to BlackRock’s financial condition. The Board reviewed BlackRock’s profitability methodology and was also provided with an estimated profitability analysis that detailed the revenues earned and the expenses incurred by BlackRock for services provided to the Fund. The Board reviewed BlackRock’s estimated profitability with respect to the Fund and other funds the Board currently oversees for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to available aggregate estimated profitability data provided for the prior two years. The Board reviewed BlackRock’s estimated profitability with respect to certain other U.S. fund complexes managed by the Manager and/or its affiliates. The Board reviewed BlackRock’s assumptions and methodology of allocating expenses in the estimated profitability analysis, noting the inherent limitations in allocating costs among various advisory products. The Board recognized that profitability may be affected by numerous factors including, among other things, fee waivers and expense reimbursements by the Manager, the types of funds managed, precision of expense allocations and business mix. The Board thus recognized that calculating and comparing profitability at the individual fund level is difficult.

The Board noted that, in general, individual fund or product line profitability of other advisors is not publicly available. The Board reviewed BlackRock’s overall operating margin, in general, compared to that of certain other publicly traded asset management firms. The Board considered the differences between BlackRock and these other firms, including the contribution of technology at BlackRock, BlackRock’s expense management, and the relative product mix.

The Board considered whether BlackRock has the financial resources necessary to attract and retain high quality investment management personnel to perform its obligations under the Agreements and to continue to provide the high quality of services that is expected by the Board. The Board further considered factors including but not limited to BlackRock’s commitment of time and resources, assumption of risk, and liability profile in servicing the Fund, including in contrast to what is required of BlackRock with respect to other products with similar investment mandates across the open-end fund, ETF, closed-end fund, sub-advised mutual fund, separately managed account, collective investment trust, and institutional separate account product channels, as applicable.

The Board noted that the Fund’s contractual management fee rate ranked in the third quartile, and that the actual management fee rate and total expense ratio ranked in the second and first quartiles, respectively, relative to the Fund’s Expense Peers. The Board also noted that the Fund has an advisory fee arrangement that includes breakpoints that adjust the fee rate downward as the size of the Fund increases above certain contractually specified levels. The Board additionally noted that the breakpoints can, conversely, adjust the advisory fee rate upward as the size of the Fund decreases below certain contractually specified levels. The Board further noted that BlackRock and the Board have contractually agreed to a cap on the Fund’s total expenses as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets on a class-by-class basis.

D. Economies of Scale

The Board, including the Independent Board Members, considered the extent to which economies of scale might be realized as the assets of the Fund increase, including the existence of fee waivers and/or expense caps, as applicable, noting that any contractual fee waivers and contractual expense caps had been approved by the Board. In its consideration, the Board further considered the continuation and/or implementation of fee waivers and/or expense caps, as applicable. The Board also considered the extent to which the Fund benefits from such economies of scale in a variety of ways, and whether there should be changes in the advisory fee rate or breakpoint structure in order to enable the Fund to more fully participate in these economies of scale. The Board considered the Fund’s asset levels and whether the current fee schedule was appropriate.

E. Other Factors Deemed Relevant by the Board Members

The Board, including the Independent Board Members, also took into account other ancillary or “fall-out” benefits that BlackRock or its affiliates may derive from BlackRock’s respective relationships with the Fund, both tangible and intangible, such as BlackRock’s ability to leverage its investment professionals who manage other portfolios and its risk management personnel, an increase in BlackRock’s profile in the investment advisory community, and the engagement of BlackRock’s affiliates as service providers to the Fund, including for administrative, distribution, securities lending and cash management services. With respect to securities lending, during the year the Board also considered information provided by independent third-party consultants related to the performance of each BlackRock affiliate as securities lending agent. The Board also considered BlackRock’s overall operations and its efforts to expand the scale of, and improve the quality of, its operations. The Board also noted that, subject to applicable law, BlackRock may use and benefit from third-party research obtained by soft dollars generated by certain registered fund transactions to assist in managing all or a number of its other client accounts.

In connection with its consideration of the Agreements, the Board also received information regarding BlackRock’s brokerage and soft dollar practices. The Board received reports from BlackRock which included information on brokerage commissions and trade execution practices throughout the year.

The Board noted the competitive nature of the open-end fund marketplace, and that shareholders are able to redeem their Fund shares if they believe that the Fund’s fees and expenses are too high or if they are dissatisfied with the performance of the Fund.

Conclusion

At the May Meeting, in a continuation of the discussions that occurred during the April Meeting, and as a culmination of the Board’s year-long deliberative process, the Board, including the Independent Board Members, unanimously approved the continuation of (i) the Advisory Agreement between the Manager and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, (ii) the BIL Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Manager and BIL with respect to the Fund and (iii) the BRS Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Manager and BRS with respect to the Fund, each for a one-year term ending June 30, 2024. Based upon its evaluation of all of the aforementioned factors in their totality, as well as other information, the Board, including the Independent Board Members, was satisfied that the terms of the Agreements were fair and reasonable and in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders. In arriving at its decision to approve the Agreements, the Board did not identify any single factor or group of factors as all-important or controlling, but considered all factors together, and different Board Members may have attributed different weights to the various factors considered. The Independent Board Members were advised by independent legal counsel throughout the deliberative process.

 

 

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Additional Information

 

Tailored Shareholder Reports for Open-End Mutual Funds and ETFs

Effective January 24, 2023, the SEC adopted rule and form amendments to require open-end mutual funds and ETFs to transmit concise and visually engaging streamlined annual and semiannual reports to shareholders that highlight key information. Other information, including financial statements, will no longer appear in a streamlined shareholder report but must be available online, delivered free of charge upon request, and filed on a semiannual basis on Form N-CSR. The rule and form amendments have a compliance date of July 24, 2024. At this time, management is evaluating the impact of these amendments on the shareholder reports for the Fund.

General Information

Quarterly performance, semi-annual and annual reports, current net asset value and other information regarding the Fund may be found on BlackRock’s website, which can be accessed at blackrock.com. Any reference to BlackRock’s website in this report is intended to allow investors public access to information regarding the Fund and does not, and is not intended to, incorporate BlackRock’s website in this report.

Householding

The Fund will mail only one copy of shareholder documents, including prospectuses, annual and semi-annual reports, Rule 30e-3 notices and proxy statements, to shareholders with multiple accounts at the same address. This practice is commonly called “householding” and is intended to reduce expenses and eliminate duplicate mailings of shareholder documents. Mailings of your shareholder documents may be householded indefinitely unless you instruct us otherwise. If you do not want the mailing of these documents to be combined with those for other members of your household, please call the Fund at (800) 441-7762.

Availability of Quarterly Schedule of Investments

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT is available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. Additionally, the Fund makes its portfolio holdings for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year available at blackrock.com/fundreports.

Availability of Proxy Voting Policies, Procedures and Voting Records

A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities and information about how the Fund voted proxies relating to securities held in the Fund’s portfolio during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available without charge, upon request (1) by calling (800) 441-7762; (2) on the BlackRock website at blackrock.com; and (3) on the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

BlackRock’s Mutual Fund Family

BlackRock offers a diverse lineup of open-end mutual funds crossing all investment styles and managed by experts in equity, fixed-income and tax-exempt investing. Visit blackrock.com for more information.

Shareholder Privileges

Account Information

Call us at (800) 441-7762 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM ET on any business day to get information about your account balances, recent transactions and share prices. You can also visit blackrock.com for more information.

Automatic Investment Plans

Investor class shareholders who want to invest regularly can arrange to have $50 or more automatically deducted from their checking or savings account and invested in any of the BlackRock funds.

Systematic Withdrawal Plans

Investor class shareholders can establish a systematic withdrawal plan and receive periodic payments of $50 or more from their BlackRock funds, as long as their account balance is at least $10,000.

Retirement Plans

Shareholders may make investments in conjunction with Traditional, Rollover, Roth, Coverdell, Simple IRAs, SEP IRAs and 403(b) Plans.

BlackRock Privacy Principles

BlackRock is committed to maintaining the privacy of its current and former fund investors and individual clients (collectively, “Clients”) and to safeguarding their non-public personal information. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information BlackRock collects, how we protect that information and why in certain cases we share such information with select parties.

 

 

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Additional Information  (continued)

 

If you are located in a jurisdiction where specific laws, rules or regulations require BlackRock to provide you with additional or different privacy-related rights beyond what is set forth below, then BlackRock will comply with those specific laws, rules or regulations.

BlackRock obtains or verifies personal non-public information from and about you from different sources, including the following: (i) information we receive from you or, if applicable, your financial intermediary, on applications, forms or other documents; (ii) information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others; (iii) information we receive from a consumer reporting agency; and (iv) from visits to our websites.

BlackRock does not sell or disclose to non-affiliated third parties any non-public personal information about its Clients, except as permitted by law or as is necessary to respond to regulatory requests or to service Client accounts. These non-affiliated third parties are required to protect the confidentiality and security of this information and to use it only for its intended purpose.

We may share information with our affiliates to service your account or to provide you with information about other BlackRock products or services that may be of interest to you. In addition, BlackRock restricts access to non-public personal information about its Clients to those BlackRock employees with a legitimate business need for the information. BlackRock maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that are designed to protect the non-public personal information of its Clients, including procedures relating to the proper storage and disposal of such information.

Fund and Service Providers

 

Investment Adviser and Administrator

BlackRock Advisors, LLC

Wilmington, DE 19809

Sub-Advisers

BlackRock International Limited

Edinburgh, EH3 8BL

United Kingdom

BlackRock (Singapore) Limited

079912 Singapore

Accounting Agent and Transfer Agent

BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.

Wilmington, DE 19809

Custodian

The Bank of New York Mellon

New York, NY 10286

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Deloitte & Touche LLP

Boston, MA 02116

Distributor

BlackRock Investments, LLC

New York, NY 10001

Legal Counsel

Sidley Austin LLP

New York, NY 10019

Address of the Trust

100 Bellevue Parkway

Wilmington, DE 19809

 

 

 

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Glossary of Terms Used in this Report

 

Currency Abbreviation

EUR    Euro
USD    United States Dollar

Portfolio Abbreviation

ADR    American Depositary Receipt

 

 

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Want to know more?

blackrock.com | 800-441-7762

This report is intended for current holders. It is not authorized for use as an offer of sale or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of the Fund unless preceded or accompanied by the Fund’s current prospectus. Past performance results shown in this report should not be considered a representation of future performance. Investment returns and principal value of shares will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Statements and other information herein are as dated and are subject to change.

REALES-7/23-SAR

 

LOGO

  LOGO


(b) Not Applicable

 

Item 2 –

Code of Ethics – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report

 

Item 3 –

Audit Committee Financial Expert – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report

 

Item 4 –

Principal Accountant Fees and Services – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report

 

Item 5 –

Audit Committee of Listed Registrant – Not Applicable

 

Item 6 –

Investments

(a) The registrant’s Schedule of Investments is included as part of the Report to Stockholders filed under Item 1(a) of this Form.

(b) Not Applicable due to no such divestments during the semi-annual period covered since the previous Form N-CSR filing.

 

Item 7 –

Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable

 

Item 8 –

Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable

 

Item 9 –

Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers – Not Applicable

 

Item 10 –

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders –There have been no material changes to these procedures.

 

Item 11 –

Controls and Procedures

(a) The registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) are effective as of a date within 90 days of the filing of this report based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(b) There were no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act) that occurred during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 12 –

Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable

 

Item 13 –

Exhibits attached hereto

(a)(1) Code of Ethics – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report

(a)(2) Section 302 Certifications are attached

(a)(3) Any written solicitation to purchase securities under Rule 23c-1 – Not Applicable

 

2


(a)(4) Change in Registrant’s independent public accountant – Not Applicable

(b) Section 906 Certifications are attached

 

3


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

BlackRock FundsSM

 

  By:     

/s/ John M. Perlowski       

       John M. Perlowski
       Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of
       BlackRock FundsSM

Date: September 22, 2023

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

  By:     

/s/ John M. Perlowski       

       John M. Perlowski
       Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of
       BlackRock FundsSM

Date: September 22, 2023

 

  By:     

/s/ Trent Walker       

       Trent Walker
       Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of
       BlackRock FundsSM

Date: September 22, 2023

 

4