N-CSR 1 d644536dncsr.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: 1/31/2024

Date of reporting period: 1/31/2024


Item 1 – Report to Stockholders

(a) The Report to Shareholders is attached herewith.


 

LOGO

  JANUARY 31, 2024

 

   2024 Annual Report

 

BlackRock FundsSM

 

·  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

 

 

 

Not FDIC Insured • May Lose Value • No Bank Guarantee


The Markets in Review

Dear Shareholder,

The combination of continued economic growth and cooling inflation provided a supportive backdrop for investors during the 12-month reporting period ended January 31, 2024. Significantly tighter monetary policy helped to rein in inflation, and the Consumer Price Index decelerated substantially in the first half of the period before stalling between 3% and 4% in the second half. A moderating labor market helped ease inflationary pressure, although wages continued to grow. Wage and job growth powered robust consumer spending, backstopping the economy. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a horrific attack on Israel. The ensuing war will have a significant humanitarian impact and could lead to heightened economic and market volatility. We see geopolitics as a structural market risk going forward. See our geopolitical risk dashboard at blackrock.com for more details.

Equity returns were robust during the period, as interest rates stabilized and the economy proved to be more resilient than many investors expected. The U.S. economy continued to show strength, and growth further accelerated in the second half of 2023. Large-capitalization U.S. stocks posted particularly substantial gains, supported by the performance of a few notable technology companies, while small-capitalization U.S. stocks advanced at a significantly slower pace. Meanwhile, international developed market equities also gained, while emerging market stocks declined overall.

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. However, shorter-duration U.S. Treasuries gained, as higher yields boosted returns. The corporate bond market benefited from improving economic sentiment, 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”), attempting to manage persistent inflation, raised interest rates four times during the 12-month period, but paused its tightening in the second half of the period. The Fed also wound down its bond-buying programs and incrementally reduced its balance sheet by not replacing securities that reach maturity.

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 stopped tightening for now, we believe that the new economic regime means that the Fed will need to maintain high rates for an extended period despite the market’s hopes for interest rate cuts, as reflected in the recent rally. In this new regime, we anticipate greater volatility and dispersion of returns, creating more opportunities for selective portfolio management.

Looking at developed market stocks, we have an overweight stance on U.S. stocks overall, particularly given the promise of emerging AI technologies. We are also overweight Japanese stocks as shareholder-friendly policies generate increased investor interest, although we maintain an underweight stance on European stocks. In credit, there are selective opportunities in the near term despite tighter credit and financial conditions. For fixed income investing with a six- to twelve-month horizon, we see the most attractive investments in short-term U.S. Treasuries 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 January 31, 2024
     
     6-Month    12-Month 
   

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

  6.43%   20.82%
   

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

  (2.02)    2.40 
   

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

  3.15    10.01 
   

Emerging market equities (MSCI Emerging Markets Index)

  (6.00)    (2.94) 
   

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

  2.73    5.13 
   

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

  1.74    (0.38) 
   

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

  3.15    2.10 
   

Tax-exempt municipal bonds (Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index)

  2.70    2.90 
   

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

  6.18    9.28 

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 SN 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  

Annual Report:

  

Fund Summary

     4  

About Fund Performance

     7  

Disclosure of Expenses

     7  

Derivative Financial Instruments

     7  

Financial Statements:

  

Schedule of Investments

     8  

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

     12  

Statement of Operations

     14  

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

     15  

Financial Highlights

     16  

Notes to Financial Statements

     19  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     28  

Important Tax Information

     29  

Statement Regarding Liquidity Risk Management Program

     30  

Trustee and Officer Information

     31  

Additional Information

     36  

Glossary of Terms Used in this Report

     38  

 

 

 

 

LOGO

 

 

  3


Fund Summary  as of January 31, 2024    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 12-month period ended January 31, 2024, all of the Fund’s share classes outperformed the benchmark, the FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Net Index.

What factors influenced performance?

In sector terms, exposures that added to relative performance included triple net, healthcare, and office REITs. Individual positions that contributed positively to relative return included Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (healthcare), Realty Income Corp. (triple net), and SL Green Realty Corp. (office).

Conversely, positioning in the other, retail, and manufactured home sectors weighed on relative performance. Individual detractors included Iron Mountain, Inc. (other), Agree Realty Corp. (triple net), and Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. (industrials).

Describe recent portfolio activity.

The Fund continued to employ a balanced approach to portfolio construction, with holdings in longer-duration growth and well-capitalized REITs matched by more cyclical holdings that should benefit from a declining interest rate environment. The Fund’s underweight position in retail was shifted to a slight overweight position reflecting the sector’s solid fundamentals, strong leasing backdrop, and lack of new supply.

Describe portfolio positioning at period end.

At period end, the Fund held a constructive stance toward the listed real estate sector based on generally well-capitalized balance sheets and relatively conservative debt levels, along with expectations of falling interest rates and a soft landing for the economy. The Fund was overweight in sectors with strong secular growth drivers such as towers, datacenter, and manufactured housing, as well as holdings levered to economic recovery within the office, industrial, healthcare, and retail sectors. The Fund was underweight in the timber, billboard, life science and medical office, triple net, apartments, self-storage, single family housing, and lodging sectors.

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  

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Fund Summary as of January 31, 2024 (continued)    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

GROWTH OF $10,000 INVESTMENT

 

LOGO

 

(a) 

Assuming maximum sales charges, if any, transaction costs and other operating expenses, including investment advisory fees and administration fees, if any. Institutional Shares do not have a sales charge.

(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”). The index contains all tax-qualified REITs with more than 50 percent of total assets in qualifying real estate assets other than mortgages secured by real property that also meet minimum size and liquidity criteria.

Performance

 

    Average Annual Total Returns(a)  
    1 Year     5 Years     10 Years  
    

Without

Sales

Charge

   

With

Sales

Charge

   

Without

Sales

Charge

   

With

Sales

Charge

   

Without

Sales

Charge

   

With

Sales

Charge

 

Institutional

    (1.89 )%      N/A       4.66     N/A       7.34     N/A  

Investor A

    (2.14     (7.28 )%      4.40       3.28     7.05       6.48

Investor C

    (2.84     (3.79     3.63       3.63       6.42       6.42  

FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Net Index

    (4.96     N/A       3.08       N/A       5.85       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.

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

(08/01/23)

 

 

 

    

Ending

Account Value

(01/31/24)

 

 

 

    

Expenses

Paid During

the Period

 

 

(a) 

       

Beginning

Account Value

(08/01/23)

 

 

 

    

Ending

Account Value

(01/31/24)

 

 

 

    

Expenses

Paid During

the Period

 

 

(a) 

      

Annualized

Expense

Ratio

 

 

 

Institutional

    $ 1,000.00        $ 1,017.50        $ 3.81         $ 1,000.00        $ 1,021.42        $ 3.82          0.75

Investor A

    1,000.00        1,016.20        5.08         1,000.00        1,020.16        5.09          1.00  

Investor C

    1,000.00        1,012.50        8.88           1,000.00        1,016.38        8.89          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 184/365 (to reflect the one-half year period shown).

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

 

 

F U N D  S U M M A R Y

  5


Fund Summary  as of January 31, 2024 (continued)    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Portfolio Information

 

TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS

 

   
Security(a)  

Percent of

Net Assets

 

American Tower Corp.

    8.4

Prologis, Inc.

    7.5  

Equinix, Inc.

    6.8  

Extra Space Storage, Inc.

    5.2  

Welltower, Inc.

    5.0  

VICI Properties, Inc.

    4.4  

AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

    4.2  

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

    3.9  

Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc.

    3.9  

Agree Realty Corp.

    3.6  
INDUSTRY ALLOCATION

 

   
Industry(b)  

Percent of

Net Assets

 

Specialized REITs

    39.1

Residential REITs

    14.3  

Industrial REITs

    13.1  

Retail REITs

    12.9  

Health Care REITs

    8.3  

Office REITs

    4.4  

Hotel & Resort REITs

    3.1  

Diversified REITs

    1.3  

Health Care

    1.3  

Other (each representing less than 1%)

    1.4  

Short-Term Securities

    1.2  

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.

 

 

6  

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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.

 

 

A B O U T  F U N D  P E R F O R M A N C E  /  D I S C L O S U R EO F  E X P E N S E S  /  D E R I V A T I V E  F I N A N C I A L  I N S T R U M E N T S

  7


Schedule of Investments 

January 31, 2024

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

(Percentages shown are based on Net Assets)

 

Security   Shares     Value  

Common Stocks

   
Diversified REITs — 1.3%            

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc.

    145,230     $ 3,617,679  
   

 

 

 

Diversified Telecommunication Services — 0.5%

 

Cellnex Telecom SA(a)

    36,321       1,397,537  
   

 

 

 

Health Care — 1.3%

   

Ensign Group, Inc. (The)

    29,931       3,388,788  
   

 

 

 

Health Care REITs — 8.3%

   

CareTrust REIT, Inc.

    119,952       2,509,396  

Healthpeak Properties, Inc.

    121,920       2,255,520  

Physicians Realty Trust

    342,742       4,195,162  

Welltower, Inc.

    158,425       13,705,347  
   

 

 

 
      22,665,425  

Hotel & Resort REITs — 3.1%

   

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

    86,639       1,665,201  

Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.

    62,000       6,813,800  
   

 

 

 
      8,479,001  

Industrial REITs — 13.1%

   

Prologis, Inc.

    161,485       20,458,535  

Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc.

    201,000       10,570,590  

STAG Industrial, Inc.

    127,398       4,706,082  
   

 

 

 
      35,735,207  

Office REITs — 4.4%

   

Boston Properties, Inc.

    77,817       5,174,830  

Cousins Properties, Inc.

    129,763       2,972,870  

SL Green Realty Corp.

    82,266       3,697,857  
   

 

 

 
      11,845,557  

Real Estate Management & Development — 0.9%

 

Corporación Inmobiliaria Vesta SAB de CV, ADR

    63,440       2,405,645  
   

 

 

 

Residential REITs — 14.3%

   

AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

    63,270       11,325,963  

Invitation Homes, Inc.

    209,863       6,910,788  

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.

    46,542       5,881,978  

Sun Communities, Inc.

    60,332       7,562,616  

UDR, Inc.

    198,937       7,165,711  
   

 

 

 
        38,847,056  
Security   Shares     Value  

Retail REITs — 12.9%

   

Agree Realty Corp.

    166,249     $ 9,910,103  

Federal Realty Investment Trust

    56,280       5,725,364  

Regency Centers Corp.

    147,291       9,230,727  

Simon Property Group, Inc.

    51,685       7,164,058  

SITE Centers Corp.

    240,204       3,199,517  
   

 

 

 
      35,229,769  

Specialized REITs — 39.1%

   

American Tower Corp.

    117,151       22,920,593  

Crown Castle, Inc.

    56,929       6,162,564  

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

    76,293       10,716,115  

EPR Properties

    95,873       4,244,298  

Equinix, Inc.

    22,284       18,490,595  

Extra Space Storage, Inc.

    98,108       14,170,720  

Public Storage

    17,769       5,032,003  

SBA Communications Corp.

    39,134       8,760,537  

VICI Properties, Inc.

    398,902       12,014,928  

Weyerhaeuser Co.

    120,604       3,952,193  
   

 

 

 
      106,464,546  
   

 

 

 

Total Long-Term Investments — 99.2%
(Cost: $235,095,825)

      270,076,210  
   

 

 

 

Short-Term Securities

   
Money Market Funds — 1.2%            

BlackRock Liquidity Funds, T-Fund, Institutional Class, 5.21%(b)(c)

    3,398,799       3,398,799  
   

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Securities — 1.2%
(Cost: $3,398,799)

      3,398,799  
   

 

 

 

Total Investments — 100.4%
(Cost: $238,494,624)

      273,475,009  

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets — (0.4)%

 

    (1,216,641
   

 

 

 

Net Assets — 100.0%

    $  272,258,368  
   

 

 

 

 

(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) 

Affiliate of the Fund.

(c) 

Annualized 7-day yield as of period end.

 

 

 

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Schedule of Investments (continued)

January 31, 2024

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Affiliates

Investments in issuers considered to be affiliate(s) of the Fund during the year ended January 31, 2024 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
01/31/24
    Shares
Held at
01/31/24
    Income    

Capital

Gain

Distributions

from Underlying

Funds

 

BlackRock Liquidity Funds, T-Fund, Institutional Class

  $  5,717,880     $     $  (2,319,081 )(a)    $     $     $ 3,398,799       3,398,799     $ 292,494     $  

SL Liquidity Series, LLC, Money Market Series(b)

                (43 )(a)      43                         392 (c)        
       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        $ 43     $     $  3,398,799       $  292,886     $  
       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

Represents net amount purchased (sold).

 
  (b) 

As of period end, the entity is no longer held.

 
  (c) 

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   887,321        EUR 805,000        Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC      04/15/24         $ 14,575  
                  

 

 

 

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

   $      $      $      $ 14,575      $      $      $ 14,575  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

For the period ended January 31, 2024, 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

   $      $      $      $ (67,925    $      $      $ (67,925

Swaps

                   169,065                             169,065  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $      $      $  169,065      $ (67,925    $      $      $  101,140  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on:

                    

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

   $      $      $      $ 48,870      $      $      $ 48,870  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

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

  9


Schedule of Investments (continued)

January 31, 2024

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Average Quarterly Balances of Outstanding Derivative Financial Instruments

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

       

Average amounts purchased — in USD

  $ 1,692,753  

Average amounts sold — in USD

    $741,880  

Total return swaps

 

Average notional amount

    $107,951  

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

   $ 14,575      $  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

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

   $ 14,575      $  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

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

             
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total derivative assets and liabilities subject to an MNA

   $ 14,575      $  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

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)
 

Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC

   $ 14,575      $      $      $      $ 14,575  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  (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 REITs

   $ 3,617,679        $        $        $ 3,617,679  

Diversified Telecommunication Services

              1,397,537                   1,397,537  

Health Care

     3,388,788                            3,388,788  

Health Care REITs

     22,665,425                            22,665,425  

Hotel & Resort REITs

     8,479,001                            8,479,001  

Industrial REITs

     35,735,207                            35,735,207  

Office REITs

     11,845,557                            11,845,557  

Real Estate Management & Development

     2,405,645                            2,405,645  

Residential REITs

     38,847,056                            38,847,056  

Retail REITs

     35,229,769                            35,229,769  

Specialized REITs

     106,464,546                            106,464,546  

Short-Term Securities

                 

Money Market Funds

     3,398,799                            3,398,799  
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 
   $  272,077,472        $ 1,397,537        $        $  273,475,009  
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

10  

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Schedule of Investments (continued)

January 31, 2024

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Fair Value Hierarchy as of Period End (continued)

 

 
     Level 1        Level 2        Level 3        Total  

 

 
Derivative Financial Instruments(a)                                  

Assets

                 

Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts

   $        $  14,575        $        $  14,575  
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 
                 

 

  (a) 

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.

 

 

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

  11


Statement of Assets and Liabilities

January 31, 2024

 

    

BlackRock

Real Estate
Securities Fund

 

ASSETS

 

Investments, at value — unaffiliated(a)

  $ 270,076,210  

Investments, at value — affiliated(b)

    3,398,799  

Receivables:

 

Investments sold

    95,016  

Capital shares sold

    589,998  

Dividends — unaffiliated

    316,402  

Dividends — affiliated

    14,583  

From the Manager

    86,658  

Unrealized appreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

    14,575  

Prepaid expenses

    32,356  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    274,624,597  
 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

 

Payables:

 

Investments purchased

    1,764,213  

Administration fees

    10,138  

Capital shares redeemed

    219,793  

Investment advisory fees

    142,765  

Trustees’ and Officer’s fees

    1,517  

Other accrued expenses

    88,342  

Other affiliate fees

    30,290  

Professional fees

    58,845  

Registration fees

    43,093  

Service and distribution fees

    7,233  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    2,366,229  
 

 

 

 

Commitments and contingent liabilities

 

NET ASSETS

  $ 272,258,368  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS CONSIST OF:

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 316,435,827  

Accumulated loss

    (44,177,459
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

  $ 272,258,368  
 

 

 

 

(a) Investments, at cost — unaffiliated

  $  235,095,825  

(b) Investments, at cost — affiliated

  $ 3,398,799  

 

 

12  

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Statement of Assets and Liabilities (continued)

January 31, 2024

 

    

BlackRock

Real Estate
Securities Fund

 

NET ASSET VALUE

 
Institutional      

Net assets

  $  246,878,260  
 

 

 

 

Shares outstanding

    17,635,045  
 

 

 

 

Net asset value

  $ 14.00  
 

 

 

 

Shares authorized

    Unlimited  
 

 

 

 

Par value

  $ 0.001  
 

 

 

 
Investor A      

Net assets

  $ 22,865,198  
 

 

 

 

Shares outstanding

    1,632,746  
 

 

 

 

Net asset value

  $ 14.00  
 

 

 

 

Shares authorized

    Unlimited  
 

 

 

 

Par value

  $ 0.001  
 

 

 

 
Investor C      

Net assets

  $ 2,514,910  
 

 

 

 

Shares outstanding

    181,712  
 

 

 

 

Net asset value

  $ 13.84  
 

 

 

 

Shares authorized

    Unlimited  
 

 

 

 

Par value

  $ 0.001  
 

 

 

 

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


Statement of Operations

Year Ended January 31, 2024

 

    

BlackRock

Real Estate

Securities Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

 

Dividends — unaffiliated

  $ 10,227,545  

Dividends — affiliated

    292,494  

Securities lending income — affiliated — net

    392  

Foreign taxes withheld

    (3,318
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    10,517,113  
 

 

 

 

EXPENSES

 

Investment advisory

    2,399,597  

Transfer agent — class specific

    528,117  

Administration

    135,977  

Professional

    135,194  

Registration

    90,021  

Service and distribution — class specific

    83,372  

Administration — class specific

    64,089  

Accounting services

    53,987  

Printing and postage

    47,583  

Custodian

    11,791  

Trustees and Officer

    8,643  

Miscellaneous

    14,237  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses excluding interest expense

    3,572,608  

Interest expense

    257  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    3,572,865  

Less:

 

Administration fees waived by the Manager — class specific

    (64,089

Fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager

    (501,973

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

    (523,196
 

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    2,483,607  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    8,033,506  
 

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS)

 

Net realized gain (loss) from:

 

Investments — unaffiliated

    (37,896,203

Investments — affiliated

    43  

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

    (67,925

Foreign currency transactions

    24,992  

Swaps

    169,065  
 

 

 

 
    (37,770,028
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:

 

Investments — unaffiliated

    10,420,561  

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

    48,870  

Foreign currency translations

    (16,096
 

 

 

 
    10,453,335  
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized loss

    (27,316,693
 

 

 

 

NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS

  $  (19,283,187
 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

14  

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Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund  
 

 

 

 
    Year Ended
01/31/24
    Year Ended
01/31/23
 

 

 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS

 

 

OPERATIONS

   

Net investment income

  $ 8,033,506     $ 10,593,444  

Net realized loss

    (37,770,028     (32,193,852

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

    10,453,335       (52,831,042
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

    (19,283,187     (74,431,450
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS(a)

   

From net investment income and net realized gain:

   

Institutional

    (7,338,777     (16,808,621

Investor A

    (523,891     (852,690

Investor C

    (43,439     (89,286

Return of capital:

   

Institutional

    (1,832,294     (1,102,805

Investor A

    (130,801     (53,767

Investor C

    (10,846     (4,834
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Decrease in net assets resulting from distributions to shareholders

    (9,880,048     (18,912,003
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS

   

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

    (162,799,570     14,857,412  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   

Total decrease in net assets

    (191,962,805     (78,486,041

Beginning of year

    464,221,173       542,707,214  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of year

  $ 272,258,368     $ 464,221,173  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) 

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

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

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

  15


Financial Highlights

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund  
    Institutional  
    Year Ended
01/31/24
          Year Ended
01/31/23
          Year Ended
01/31/22
          Year Ended
01/31/21
          Year Ended
01/31/20
 
                   

Net asset value, beginning of year

  $ 14.72       $ 17.52       $ 13.50       $ 14.52       $ 12.73  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income(a)

    0.35         0.34         0.18         0.19         0.25  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    (0.65       (2.56       4.15         (0.92       1.81  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

    (0.30       (2.22       4.33         (0.73       2.06  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions(b)

                 

From net investment income

    (0.34       (0.35       (0.23       (0.22       (0.23

From net realized gain

            (0.20       (0.08               (0.04

Return of capital

    (0.08       (0.03               (0.07        
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total distributions

    (0.42       (0.58       (0.31       (0.29       (0.27
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of year

  $ 14.00       $ 14.72       $ 17.52       $ 13.50       $ 14.52  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Return(c)

                 

Based on net asset value

    (1.89 )%        (12.53 )%        32.21       (4.85 )%        16.32
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(d)

                 

Total expenses

    1.10       0.98       1.02       1.16       1.25 %(e) 
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    0.75       0.75       0.75       0.84       1.05
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income

    2.56       2.19       1.06       1.48       1.74
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

                 

Net assets, end of year (000)

  $ 246,878       $ 436,099       $ 505,048       $ 87,699       $ 84,937  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate

    65 %(f)         56 %(f)         73 %(f)         58 %(f)         63 %(f)  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

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

(c) 

Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.

(d) 

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

(e) 

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

(f) 

Excludes underlying investments in total return swaps.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

16  

2 0 2 4  B L A C K R O C K  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


Financial Highlights (continued)

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund (continued)  
    Investor A  
    Year Ended
01/31/24
          Year Ended
01/31/23
          Year Ended
01/31/22
          Year Ended
01/31/21
          Year Ended
01/31/20
 
                   

Net asset value, beginning of year

  $ 14.72       $ 17.52       $ 13.46       $ 14.49       $ 12.70  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income(a)

    0.28         0.29         0.20         0.17         0.16  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    (0.61       (2.54       4.08         (0.94       1.87  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

    (0.33       (2.25       4.28         (0.77       2.03  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions(b)

                 

From net investment income

    (0.31       (0.32       (0.15       (0.20       (0.20

From net realized gain

            (0.20       (0.07               (0.04

Return of capital

    (0.08       (0.03               (0.06        
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total distributions

    (0.39       (0.55       (0.22       (0.26       (0.24
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of year

  $ 14.00       $ 14.72       $ 17.52       $ 13.46       $ 14.49  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Return(c)

                 

Based on net asset value

    (2.14 )%        (12.76 )%        31.91       (5.17 )%        16.09
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(d)

                 

Total expenses

    1.24       1.47       1.35       1.40       1.44 %(e)  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    1.00       1.00       1.00       1.09       1.30
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income

    2.07       1.89       1.28       1.40       1.11
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

                 

Net assets, end of year (000)

  $ 22,865       $ 25,120       $ 33,621       $ 181,893       $ 177,535  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate

    65 %(f)         56 %(f)         73 %(f)         58 %(f)         63 %(f)  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

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

(c) 

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

(d) 

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

(e) 

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

(f) 

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


Financial Highlights (continued)

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund (continued)  
    Investor C  
    Year Ended
01/31/24
          Year Ended
01/31/23
          Year Ended
01/31/22
          Year Ended
01/31/21
          Year Ended
01/31/20
 
                   

Net asset value, beginning of year

  $ 14.55       $ 17.33       $ 13.38       $ 14.39       $ 12.62  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income(a)

    0.18         0.18         0.03         0.11         0.16  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    (0.60       (2.52       4.09         (0.96       1.75  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

    (0.42       (2.34       4.12         (0.85       1.91  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions(b)

                 

From net investment income

    (0.23       (0.22       (0.13       (0.12       (0.10

From net realized gain

            (0.20       (0.04               (0.04

Return of capital

    (0.06       (0.02               (0.04        
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total distributions

    (0.29       (0.44       (0.17       (0.16       (0.14
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of year

  $ 13.84       $ 14.55       $ 17.33       $ 13.38       $ 14.39  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Return(c)

                 

Based on net asset value

    (2.84 )%        (13.43 )%        30.88       (5.85 )%        15.21
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(d)

                 

Total expenses

    2.13       2.11       2.15       2.22       2.49
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    1.75       1.75       1.75       1.86       2.05
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income

    1.34       1.17       0.16       0.92       1.16
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

                 

Net assets, end of year (000)

  $ 2,515       $ 3,002       $ 4,037       $ 1,889       $ 3,583  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate

    65 %(e)         56 %(e)         73 %(e)         58 %(e)         63 %(e)  
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

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

(c) 

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

(d) 

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

(e) 

Excludes underlying investments in total return swaps.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

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Notes to Financial Statements

 

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 January 31, 2024, 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.

Bank Overdraft: The Fund had outstanding cash disbursements exceeding deposited cash amounts at the custodian during the reporting period. The Fund is obligated to repay the custodian for any overdraft, including any related costs or expenses, where applicable. For financial reporting purposes, overdraft fees, if any, are included in interest expense in the Statement of Operations.

 

 

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 (continued)

 

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.

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”).

 

   

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

 

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

 

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 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.

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 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. The 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”).

 

 

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

  21


Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

 

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 derivative contract 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.

 

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.

 

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

 

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 (“BSL”) (collectively, the “Sub-Advisers”), each an affiliate of the Manager. The Manager pays BIL and BSL for services they provide for that portion of the Fund for which BIL and BSL, 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 year ended January 31, 2024, 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

   $ 57,546               $ 25,826               $ 83,372  

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 year ended January 31, 2024, 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

  $ 58,936              $ 4,637               $ 516               $ 64,089  

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 year ended January 31, 2024, the Fund paid $144,209 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.

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 year ended January 31, 2024, the Fund reimbursed the Manager $2,344 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 year ended January 31, 2024, 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

  $ 507,931              $ 14,844               $ 5,342               $ 528,117  

 

 

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 (continued)

 

Other Fees: For the year ended January 31, 2024, affiliates earned underwriting discounts, direct commissions and dealer concessions on sales of the Fund’s Investor A Shares for a total of $2,927.

For the year ended January 31, 2024, affiliates received CDSCs in the amount of $452 and $659 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 year ended January 31, 2024, the amount waived was $4,418.

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 year ended January 31, 2024, 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 year ended January 31, 2024, the Manager waived and/or reimbursed investment advisory fees of $497,555, 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 year ended January 31, 2024, class specific expense waivers and/or reimbursements were as follows:

 

               
     Institutional          Investor A           Investor C           Total  

Administration fees waived by the Manager — class specific

  $ 58,936        $ 4,637         $ 516         $ 64,089  

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

    503,766                14,118                 5,312                 523,196  

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 impose a discretionary liquidity fee of up to 2% of the value withdrawn, if such fee is determined to be in the best interests of the Money Market Series. 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 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 year ended January 31, 2024, the Fund paid BIM $86 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.

 

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

 

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 year ended January 31, 2024, 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 year ended January 31, 2024, purchases and sales of investments, excluding short-term securities, were $210,666,089 and $369,442,152, 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 January 31, 2024, 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.

The tax character of distributions paid was as follows:

 

 

 
     Year Ended
01/31/24
     Year Ended
01/31/23
 

 

 

Ordinary income

   $ 7,906,107      $ 16,867,730  

Long-term capital gains

            882,867  

Return of capital

     1,973,941        1,161,406  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 9,880,048      $ 18,912,003  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

As of January 31, 2024, the tax components of accumulated earnings (loss) were as follows:

 

 

 
Fund Name    Non-expiring
Capital Loss
Carryforwards(a)
    Net Unrealized
Gains (Losses)(b)
     Total  

 

 

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

   $ (53,448,010   $ 9,270,551      $ (44,177,459

 

 

 

(a) 

Amounts available to offset future realized capital gains.

(b) 

The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized losses was attributable primarily to the tax deferral of losses on wash sales and the realization for tax purposes of unrealized gains(losses) on certain foreign currency contracts.

As of January 31, 2024, 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

  $ 264,204,455      $ 17,200,164      $ (7,929,610   $ 9,270,554  

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

  25


Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

 

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. As of January 31, 2024, the Fund did not have any borrowings outstanding under the credit agreement.

 

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 discretionary liquidity fees under certain circumstances.

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.

 

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

 

11. CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS

Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

       
    Year Ended 01/31/24          Year Ended 01/31/23  
 Share Class   Shares     Amount             Shares     Amount  

Institutional

          

Shares sold

    8,473,184     $   114,171,671          16,427,499     $   247,854,286  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    674,596       9,117,484          1,231,301       17,712,780  

Shares redeemed

    (21,146,873     (284,781,120        (16,857,912     (246,309,212
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 
    (11,999,093   $ (161,491,965        800,888     $ 19,257,854  
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investor A

          

Shares sold and automatic conversion of shares

    433,589     $ 5,888,799          462,949     $ 7,196,796  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    47,977       649,608          62,474       899,001  

Shares redeemed

    (555,262     (7,513,526        (737,884     (12,082,342
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 
    (73,696   $ (975,119        (212,461   $ (3,986,545
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investor C

          

Shares sold

    20,247     $ 263,361          33,953     $ 532,536  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    4,034       54,214          6,583       93,897  

Shares redeemed and automatic conversion of shares

    (48,866     (650,061        (67,237     (1,040,330
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 
    (24,585   $ (332,486        (26,701   $ (413,897
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 
    (12,097,374   $ (162,799,570        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.

 

 

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

  27


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Shareholders of BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund and the Board of Trustees of BlackRock FundsSM:

Opinion on the Financial Statements and Financial Highlights

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund of BlackRock FundsSM (the “Fund”), including the schedule of investments, as of January 31, 2024, the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, and the related notes. In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of January 31, 2024, and the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements and financial highlights based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Fund is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements and financial highlights, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements and financial highlights. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements and financial highlights. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of January 31, 2024, by correspondence with custodians or counterparties; when replies were not received, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Deloitte & Touche LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

March 22, 2024

We have served as the auditor of one or more BlackRock investment companies since 1992.

 

 

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Important Tax Information (unaudited)

 

The following amount, or maximum amount allowable by law, is hereby designated as qualified dividend income for individuals for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024:

 

 

 
Fund Name  

Qualified Dividend

Income

 

 

 

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

  $ 192,860  

 

 

The following amount, or maximum amount allowable by law, is hereby designated as qualified business income for individuals for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024:

 

 

 
Fund Name  

Qualified Business

Income

 

 

 

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

  $ 7,478,192  

 

 

The Fund hereby designates the following amount, or maximum amount allowable by law, of distributions from direct federal obligation interest for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024:

 

 

 
Fund Name  

Federal Obligation

Interest

 

 

 

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

  $ 33,590  

 

 

The law varies in each state as to whether and what percent of ordinary income dividends attributable to federal obligations is exempt from state income tax. Shareholders are advised to check with their tax advisers to determine if any portion of the dividends received is exempt from state income tax.

The following percentage, or maximum percentage allowable by law, of ordinary income distributions paid during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024 qualified for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders:

 

 

 
Fund Name  

Dividends-Received

Deduction

 

 

 

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

    0.15

 

 

The Fund hereby designates the following amount, or maximum amount allowable by law, as interest income eligible to be treated as a Section 163(j) interest dividend for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024:

 

 

 
Fund Name   Interest Dividends  

 

 

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

  $ 214,084  

 

 

The Fund hereby designates the following amount, or maximum amount allowable by law, as interest-related dividends eligible for exemption from U.S. withholding tax for nonresident aliens and foreign corporations for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024:

 

 

 
Fund Name  

Interest-

Related

Dividends

 

 

 

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

  $ 214,272  

 

 

 

 

I M P O R T A N T T A X I N F O R M A T I O N

  29


Statement Regarding Liquidity Risk Management Program

 

In compliance with Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Liquidity Rule”), BlackRock FundsSM (the “Trust”) has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) for BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund (the “Fund”), a series of the Trust, which is reasonably designed to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk.

The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, met on November 16-17, 2023 (the “Meeting”) to review the Program. The Board previously appointed BlackRock Advisors, LLC or BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BlackRock”), each an investment adviser to certain BlackRock funds, as the program administrator for the Fund’s Program, as applicable. BlackRock also previously delegated oversight of the Program to the 40 Act Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”). At the Meeting, the Committee, on behalf of BlackRock, provided the Board with a report that addressed the operation of the Program and assessed its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation, including the management of the Fund’s Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”) where applicable, and any material changes to the Program (the “Report”). The Report covered the period from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The Report described the Program’s liquidity classification methodology for categorizing the Fund’s investments (including derivative transactions) into one of four liquidity buckets. It also referenced the methodology used by BlackRock to establish the Fund’s HLIM and noted that the Committee reviews and ratifies the HLIM assigned to the Fund no less frequently than annually. The Report also discussed notable events affecting liquidity over the Program Reporting Period, including the imposition of capital controls in certain countries.

The Report noted that the Program complied with the key factors for consideration under the Liquidity Rule for assessing, managing and periodically reviewing the Fund’s liquidity risk, as follows:

 

  a)

The Fund’s investment strategy and liquidity of portfolio investments during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions. During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Fund’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end fund structure with a focus on funds with more significant and consistent holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. The Committee also factored a fund’s concentration in an issuer into the liquidity classification methodology by taking issuer position sizes into account. Where a fund participated in borrowings for investment purposes (such as tender option bonds or reverse repurchase agreements), such borrowings were factored into the Program’s calculation of a fund’s liquidity bucketing. A fund’s derivative exposure was also considered in such calculation.

 

  b)

Short-term and long-term cash flow projections during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions. During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed historical redemption activity and used this information as a component to establish the Fund’s reasonably anticipated trading size utilized for liquidity classifications. The Fund has adopted an in-kind redemption policy which may be utilized to meet larger redemption requests. The Committee may also take into consideration a fund’s shareholder ownership concentration (which, depending on product type and distribution channel, may or may not be available), a fund’s distribution channels, and the degree of certainty associated with a fund’s short-term and long-term cash flow projections.

 

  c)

Holdings of cash and cash equivalents, as well as borrowing arrangements. The Committee considered the terms of the credit facility committed to the Fund, the financial health of the institution providing the facility and the fact that the credit facility is shared among multiple funds (including that a portion of the aggregate commitment amount is specifically designated for BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio, a series of BlackRock Funds V, and BlackRock Floating Rate Loan ETF, a series of BlackRock ETF Trust II). The Committee also considered other types of borrowing available to the Fund, such as the ability to use reverse repurchase agreements and interfund lending, as applicable.

There were no material changes to the Program during the Program Reporting Period other than the enhancement of certain model components in the Program’s classification methodology. The Report provided to the Board stated that the Committee concluded that based on the operation of the functions, as described in the Report, the Program is operating as intended and is effective in implementing the requirements of the Liquidity Rule.

 

 

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Trustee and Officer Information

 

Independent Trustees(a)
         

Name

Year of Birth(b)

  

Position(s) Held

(Length of

Service)(c)

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years   

Number of BlackRock-Advised

Registered Investment Companies

(“RICs”) Consisting of Investment

Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen

  

Public Company

and Other

Investment

Company

Directorships

Held

During Past 5

Years

Mark Stalnecker

1951

  

Chair of the Board

(Since 2019) and Trustee (Since 2015)

  

Chief Investment Officer, University of Delaware from 1999 to 2013; Trustee and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committees, Winterthur Museum and Country Estate from 2005 to 2016; Member of the Investment Committee, Delaware Public Employees’ Retirement System since 2002; Member of the Investment Committee, Christiana Care Health System from 2009 to 2017; Member of the Investment Committee, Delaware Community Foundation from 2013 to 2014; Director and Chair of the Audit Committee, SEI Private Trust Co. from 2001 to 2014.

   28 RICs consisting of 166 Portfolios    None

Susan J. Carter

1956

  

Trustee

(Since 2016)

  

Trustee, Financial Accounting Foundation from 2017 to 2021; Advisory Board Member, Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship at Tuck School of Business from 1997 to 2021; Director, Pacific Pension Institute from 2014 to 2018; Senior Advisor, Commonfund Capital, Inc. (“CCI”) (investment adviser) in 2015; Chief Executive Officer, CCI from 2013 to 2014; President & Chief Executive Officer, CCI from 1997 to 2013; Advisory Board Member, Girls Who Invest from 2015 to 2018 and Board Member thereof from 2018 to 2022; Advisory Board Member, Bridges Fund Management from 2016 to 2018; Practitioner Advisory Board Member, Private Capital Research Institute (“PCRI”) since 2017; Lecturer in the Practice of Management, Yale School of Management since 2019; Advisor to Finance Committee, Altman Foundation since 2020; Investment Committee Member, Tostan since 2021; Member of the President’s Counsel, Commonfund since 2023.

   28 RICs consisting of 166 Portfolios    None

Collette Chilton

1958

  

Trustee

(Since 2015)

  

Senior advisor, Insignia since 2024; Chief Investment Officer, Williams College from 2006 to 2023; Chief Investment Officer, Lucent Asset Management Corporation from 1998 to 2006; Director, Boys and Girls Club of Boston since 2017; Director, B1 Capital since 2018; Director, David and Lucile Packard Foundation since 2020.

   28 RICs consisting of 166 Portfolios    None

Neil A. Cotty

1954

  

Trustee

(Since 2016)

  

Bank of America Corporation from 1996 to 2015, serving in various senior finance leadership roles, including Chief Accounting Officer from 2009 to 2015, Chief Financial Officer of Global Banking, Markets and Wealth Management from 2008 to 2009, Chief Accounting Officer from 2004 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Consumer Bank from 2003 to 2004, Chief Financial Officer of Global Corporate Investment Bank from 1999 to 2002.

   28 RICs consisting of 166 Portfolios    None

Lena G. Goldberg

1949

  

Trustee

(Since 2019)

  

Director, Pioneer Public Interest Law Center since 2023; Director, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. from 2013 to 2021; Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School from 2008 to 2021; FMR LLC/Fidelity Investments (financial services) from 1996 to 2008, serving in various senior roles including Executive Vice President - Strategic Corporate Initiatives and Executive Vice President and General Counsel; Partner, Sullivan & Worcester LLP from 1985 to 1996 and Associate thereof from 1979 to 1985.

   28 RICs consisting of 166 Portfolios    None

 

 

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  31


Trustee and Officer Information (continued)

 

Independent Trustees(a)
         

Name

Year of Birth(b)

  

Position(s) Held

(Length of

Service)(c)

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years   

Number of BlackRock-Advised

Registered Investment Companies

(“RICs”) Consisting of Investment

Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen

  

Public Company

and Other

Investment

Company

Directorships

Held

During Past 5

Years

Henry R. Keizer

1956

  

Trustee

(Since 2019)

  

Director, Park Indemnity Ltd. (captive insurer) from 2010 to 2022.

   28 RICs consisting of 166 Portfolios    GrafTech International Ltd. (materials manufacturing); Sealed Air Corp. (packaging); WABCO (commercial vehicle safety systems) from 2015 to 2020; Hertz Global Holdings (car rental) from 2015 to 2021.

Cynthia A. Montgomery

1952

  

Trustee

(Since 2007)

  

Professor, Harvard Business School since 1989.

   28 RICs consisting of 166 Portfolios    None

Donald C. Opatrny

1952

  

Trustee

(Since 2019)

  

Chair of the Board of Phoenix Art Museum since 2022 and Trustee thereof since 2018; Chair of the Investment Committee of The Arizona Community Foundation since 2022 and Trustee thereof since 2020; Director, Athena Capital Advisors LLC (investment management firm) from 2013 to 2020; Trustee, Vice Chair, Member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Investment Committee, Cornell University from 2004 to 2019; Member of Affordable Housing Supply Board of Jackson, Wyoming from 2017 to 2022; Member, Investment Funds Committee, State of Wyoming from 2017 to 2023; Trustee, Artstor (a Mellon Foundation affiliate) from 2010 to 2015; Member of the Investment Committee, Mellon Foundation from 2009 to 2015; President, Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum from 2007 to 2014; Trustee and Chair of the Investment Committee, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole since 2014.

   28 RICs consisting of 166 Portfolios    None

Kenneth L. Urish

1951

  

Trustee

(Since 2007)

  

Managing Partner, Urish Popeck & Co., LLC (certified public accountants and consultants) since 1976; Past-Chairman of the Professional Ethics Committee of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Committee Member thereof since 2007; Member of External Advisory Board, The Pennsylvania State University Accounting Department since 2001, Emeritus since 2022; Principal, UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors, LLC since 2013; Trustee, The Holy Family Institute from 2001 to 2010; President and Trustee, Pittsburgh Catholic Publishing Associates from 2003 to 2008; Director, Inter-Tel from 2006 to 2007; Member, Advisory Board, ESG Competent Boards since 2020.

   28 RICs consisting of 166 Portfolios    None

 

 

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Trustee and Officer Information (continued)

 

Independent Trustees(a)
         

Name

Year of Birth(b)

  

Position(s) Held

(Length of

Service)(c)

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years   

Number of BlackRock-Advised

Registered Investment Companies

(“RICs”) Consisting of Investment

Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen

  

Public Company

and Other

Investment

Company

Directorships

Held

During Past 5

Years

Claire A. Walton

1957

  

Trustee

(Since 2016)

  

Advisory Board Member, Grossman School of Business at the University of Vermont since 2023; Advisory Board Member, Scientific Financial Systems since 2022; General Partner of Neon Liberty Capital Management, LLC from 2003 to 2023; Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Liberty Square Asset Management, LP from 1998 to 2015; Director, Boston Hedge Fund Group from 2009 to 2018; Director, Massachusetts Council on Economic Education from 2013 to 2015; Director, Woodstock Ski Runners from 2013 to 2022.

   28 RICs consisting of 166 Portfolios    None

 

 

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  33


Trustee and Officer Information (continued)

 

Interested Trustees(a)(d)
         

Name

Year of Birth(b)

  

Position(s) Held

(Length of Service)(c)

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years   

Number of BlackRock-Advised

Registered Investment Companies

(“RICs”) Consisting of Investment

Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen

  

Public Company

and Other

Investment

Company

Directorships

Held During Past

5 Years

Robert Fairbairn

1965

  

Trustee

(Since 2018)

  

Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019; Member of BlackRock’s Global Executive and Global Operating Committees; Co-Chair of BlackRock’s Human Capital Committee; Senior Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2010 to 2019; oversaw BlackRock’s Strategic Partner Program and Strategic Product Management Group from 2012 to 2019; Member of the Board of Managers of BlackRock Investments, LLC from 2011 to 2018; Global Head of BlackRock’s Retail and iShares® businesses from 2012 to 2016.

   97 RICs consisting of 268 Portfolios    None

John M. Perlowski(e)

1964

  

Trustee

(Since 2015), President and Chief Executive Officer (Since 2010)

  

Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Head of BlackRock Global Accounting and Product Services since 2009; Advisory Director of Family Resource Network (charitable foundation) since 2009.

   99 RICs consisting of 270 Portfolios    None

 

(a) 

The address of each Trustee is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 50 Hudson Yards, New York, New York 10001.

 

(b) 

Independent Trustees serve until their resignation, retirement, removal or death, or until December 31 of the year in which they turn 75. The Board may determine to extend the terms of Independent Trustees on a case-by-case basis, as appropriate.

 

(c) 

Following the combination of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (“MLIM”) and BlackRock, Inc. in September 2006, the various legacy MLIM and legacy BlackRock fund boards were realigned and consolidated into three new fund boards in 2007. Furthermore, effective January 1, 2019, three BlackRock Fund Complexes were realigned and consolidated into two BlackRock Fund Complexes. As a result, although the chart shows the year that each Independent Trustee joined the Board, certain Independent Trustees first became members of the boards of other BlackRock-advised Funds, legacy MLIM funds or legacy BlackRock funds as follows: Cynthia A. Montgomery, 1994; Kenneth L. Urish, 1999; Lena G. Goldberg, 2016; Henry R. Keizer, 2016; Donald C. Opatrny, 2015.

 

(d) 

Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are both “interested persons,” as defined in the 1940 Act, of the Trust based on their positions with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are also board members of the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex.

 

(e) 

Mr. Perlowski is also a trustee of the BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund and BlackRock Private Investments Fund.

 

 

34  

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Trustee and Officer Information (continued)

 

Officers Who Are Not Trustees(a)
     

Name

Year of Birth(b)

  

Position(s) Held

(Length of Service)

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

Roland Villacorta

1971

  

Vice President

(Since 2022)

  

Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2022; Head of Global Cash Management and Head of Securities Lending within BlackRock’s Portfolio Management Group since 2022; Member of BlackRock’s Global Operating Committee since 2022; Head of Portfolio Management in BlackRock’s Financial Markets Advisory Group within BlackRock Solutions from 2008 to 2015; Co-Head of BlackRock Solutions’ Portfolio Analytics Group; previously Mr. Villacorta was Co-Head of Fixed Income within BlackRock’s Risk & Quantitative Analysis Group.

Jennifer McGovern

1977

  

Vice President

(Since 2014)

  

Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2011 to 2015; Head of Americas Product Development and Governance for BlackRock’s Global Product Group since 2019; Head of Product Structure and Oversight for BlackRock’s U.S. Wealth Advisory Group from 2013 to 2019.

Trent Walker

1974

  

Chief Financial Officer

(Since 2021)

  

Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since September 2019; Executive Vice President of PIMCO from 2016 to 2019; Senior Vice President of PIMCO from 2008 to 2015; Treasurer from 2013 to 2019 and Assistant Treasurer from 2007 to 2017 of PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, 2 PIMCO-sponsored interval funds and 21 PIMCO-sponsored closed-end funds.

Jay M. Fife

1970

  

Treasurer

(Since 2007)

  

Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2007.

Aaron Wasserman

1974

  

Chief Compliance Officer

(Since 2023)

  

Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2018; Chief Compliance Officer of the BlackRock-advised funds in the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex, the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex and the iShares Complex since 2023; Deputy Chief Compliance Officer for the BlackRock-advised funds in the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex, the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex and the iShares Complex from 2014 to 2023.

Lisa Belle

1968

  

Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer

(Since 2019)

  

Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019; Global Financial Crime Head for Asset and Wealth Management of JP Morgan from 2013 to 2019; Managing Director of RBS Securities from 2012 to 2013; Head of Financial Crimes for Barclays Wealth Americas from 2010 to 2012.

Janey Ahn

1975

  

Secretary

(Since 2019)

  

Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2018; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2017.

 

(a) 

The address of each Officer is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 50 Hudson Yards, New York, New York 10001.

 

(b) 

Officers of the Trust serve at the pleasure of the Board.

Further information about the Trust’s Trustees and Officers is available in the Trust’s Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained without charge by calling (800) 441-7762.

 

Effective July 1, 2023, Aaron Wasserman replaced Charles Park as Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust.

 

 

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  35


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.

 

 

36  

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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

 

 

A D D I T I O N A L  I N F O R M A T I O N

  37


Glossary of Terms Used in this Report 

 

Currency Abbreviation

 

EUR    Euro
USD    United States Dollar

Portfolio Abbreviation

 

ADR    American Depositary Receipt
REIT    Real Estate Investment Trust
 

 

 

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THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.

 


 

 

 

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-01/24-AR

 

 

LOGO

   LOGO


(b) Not Applicable


Item 2 –

Code of Ethics – The registrant (or the “Fund”) has adopted a code of ethics, as of the end of the period covered by this report, applicable to the registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. During the period covered by this report, the code of ethics was amended to update certain information and to make other non-material changes. During the period covered by this report, there have been no waivers granted under the code of ethics. The registrant undertakes to provide a copy of the code of ethics to any person upon request, without charge, who calls 1-800-441-7762.

 

Item 3 –

Audit Committee Financial Expert – The registrant’s board of directors (the “board of directors”), has determined that (i) the registrant has the following audit committee financial experts serving on its audit committee and (ii) each audit committee financial expert is independent:

Neil A. Cotty

Henry R. Keizer

Kenneth L. Urish

Under applicable securities laws, a person determined to be an audit committee financial expert will not be deemed an “expert” for any purpose, including without limitation for the purposes of Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933, as a result of being designated or identified as an audit committee financial expert. The designation or identification of a person as an audit committee financial expert does not impose on such person any duties, obligations, or liabilities greater than the duties, obligations, and liabilities imposed on such person as a member of the audit committee and board of directors in the absence of such designation or identification. The designation or identification of a person as an audit committee financial expert does not affect the duties, obligations, or liability of any other member of the audit committee or board of directors.

 

Item 4 –

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

The following table presents fees billed by Deloitte & Touche LLP (“D&T”) in each of the last two fiscal years for the services rendered to the Fund:

 

      (a) Audit Fees    (b) Audit-Related Fees1    (c) Tax Fees2    (d) All Other Fees
Entity Name   

Current

Fiscal Year

End

  

Previous

Fiscal Year

End

  

Current
Fiscal Year

End

  

Previous
Fiscal Year

End

  

Current
Fiscal Year

End

   Previous
Fiscal Year
End
   Current
Fiscal Year
End
   Previous
Fiscal Year
End
BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund    $22,236    $22,236    $0    $44    $15,808    $15,800    $407    $431

The following table presents fees billed by D&T that were required to be approved by the registrant’s audit committee (the “Committee”) for services that relate directly to the operations or financial reporting of the Fund and that are rendered on behalf of BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Investment Adviser” or “BlackRock”) and entities controlling, controlled by, or under common control with BlackRock (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser) that provide ongoing services to the Fund (“Affiliated Service Providers”):

 

       Current Fiscal Year End          Previous Fiscal Year  End    

(b) Audit-Related Fees1

  $0    $0

(c) Tax Fees2

  $0    $0

 

2


(d) All Other Fees3

  $2,149,000    $2,154,000

1 The nature of the services includes assurance and related services reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of financial statements not included in Audit Fees, including accounting consultations, agreed-upon procedure reports, attestation reports, comfort letters, out-of-pocket expenses and internal control reviews not required by regulators.

2 The nature of the services includes tax compliance and/or tax preparation, including services relating to the filing or amendment of federal, state or local income tax returns, regulated investment company qualification reviews, taxable income and tax distribution calculations.

3 Non-audit fees of $2,149,000 and $2,154,000 for the current fiscal year and previous fiscal year, respectively, were paid to the Fund’s principal accountant in their entirety by BlackRock, in connection with services provided to the Affiliated Service Providers of the Fund and of certain other funds sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates for a service organization review and an accounting research tool subscription. These amounts represent aggregate fees paid by BlackRock and were not allocated on a per fund basis.

(e)(1) Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures:

The Committee has adopted policies and procedures with regard to the pre-approval of services. Audit, audit-related and tax compliance services provided to the registrant on an annual basis require specific pre-approval by the Committee. The Committee also must approve other non-audit services provided to the registrant and those non-audit services provided to the Investment Adviser and Affiliated Service Providers that relate directly to the operations and the financial reporting of the registrant. Certain of these non-audit services that the Committee believes are (a) consistent with the SEC’s auditor independence rules and (b) routine and recurring services that will not impair the independence of the independent accountants may be approved by the Committee without consideration on a specific case-by-case basis (“general pre-approval”). The term of any general pre-approval is 12 months from the date of the pre-approval, unless the Committee provides for a different period. Tax or other non-audit services provided to the registrant which have a direct impact on the operations or financial reporting of the registrant will only be deemed pre-approved provided that any individual project does not exceed $10,000 attributable to the registrant or $50,000 per project. For this purpose, multiple projects will be aggregated to determine if they exceed the previously mentioned cost levels.

Any proposed services exceeding the pre-approved cost levels will require specific pre-approval by the Committee, as will any other services not subject to general pre-approval (e.g., unanticipated but permissible services). The Committee is informed of each service approved subject to general pre-approval at the next regularly scheduled in-person board meeting. At this meeting, an analysis of such services is presented to the Committee for ratification. The Committee may delegate to the Committee Chairman the authority to approve the provision of and fees for any specific engagement of permitted non-audit services, including services exceeding pre-approved cost levels.

(e)(2) None of the services described in each of Items 4(b) through (d) were approved by the Committee pursuant to the de minimis exception in paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.

(f) Not Applicable

(g) The aggregate non-audit fees, defined as the sum of the fees shown under “Audit-Related Fees,” “Tax Fees” and “All Other Fees,” paid to the accountant for services rendered by the accountant to the registrant, the Investment Adviser and the Affiliated Service Providers were:

 

Entity Name   

Current Fiscal Year

End

  

Previous Fiscal Year

End

                   
BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund    $16,215    $16,275

 

3


Additionally, the amounts billed by D&T in connection with services provided to the Affiliated Service Providers of the Fund and of other funds sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates during the current and previous fiscal years for a service organization review and an accounting research tool subscription were:

 

Current Fiscal Year

End

   Previous Fiscal Year
End
$2,149,000    $2,154,000

These amounts represent aggregate fees paid by BlackRock and were not allocated on a per fund basis.

(h) The Committee has considered and determined that the provision of non-audit services that were rendered to the Investment Adviser and the Affiliated Service Providers that were not pre-approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X is compatible with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.

(i) – Not Applicable

(j) – Not Applicable

 

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

 

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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 –

Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation – Not Applicable

 

Item 14 –

Exhibits attached hereto

(a)(1) Code of Ethics – See Item 2

(a)(2) Section 302 Certifications are attached

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

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

(b) Section 906 Certifications are attached

 

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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: March 22, 2024

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: March 22, 2024

 

 

 By:

    

/s/ Trent Walker       

      

Trent Walker

      

Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of

      

BlackRock FundsSM

Date: March 22, 2024

 

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