N-CSRS 1 d904788dncsrs.htm GABELLI EQUITY SERIES FUNDS, INC. Gabelli Equity Series Funds, Inc.

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            811-06367                

                              Gabelli Equity Series Funds, Inc.                             

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

One Corporate Center

                         Rye, New York 10580-1422                        

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Bruce N. Alpert

Gabelli Funds, LLC

One Corporate Center

                         Rye, New York 10580-1422                        

(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 1-800-422-3554

Date of fiscal year end:  September 30

Date of reporting period:  March 31, 2015

Form N-CSR is to be used by management investment companies to file reports with the Commission not later than 10 days after the transmission to stockholders of any report that is required to be transmitted to stockholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30e-1). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-CSR in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.

A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-CSR, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-CSR unless the Form displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) control number. Please direct comments concerning the accuracy of the information collection burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the burden to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The OMB has reviewed this collection of information under the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. § 3507.


Item 1. Reports to Stockholders.

The Report to Shareholders is attached herewith.


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

 

Semiannual Report — March 31, 2015

 

 

 

 

To Our Shareholders,

  

LOGO

Mario J. Gabelli, CFA

Portfolio Manager

For the six months ended March 31, 2015, the net asset value (“NAV”) per Class AAA Share of The Gabelli Equity Income Fund increased 4.3% compared with an increase of 5.9% for the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) 500 Index. See below for additional performance information.

Enclosed are the financial statements, including the schedule of investments, as of March 31, 2015.

Comparative Results

 

Average Annual Returns through March 31, 2015 (a)(b) (Unaudited)

    Since  
   

Six Months

   

1 Year

   

5 Year

   

10 Year

   

Inception
(01/02/92)

 

Class AAA (GABEX)

    4.26%             6.35%        12.37%        8.15%        10.46%    

S&P 500 Index

    5.93                12.73           14.47           8.01           9.32(e)   

Nasdaq Composite Index

    9.83                18.24           16.82           10.58           9.56(e)   

Lipper Equity Income Fund Average

    3.88                8.46           12.54           6.99           8.54       

Class A (GCAEX)

    4.31                6.37           12.37           8.15           10.46       

With sales charge (c)

    (1.68)               0.26           11.05           7.52           10.18       

Class C (GCCEX)

    3.91                5.55           11.53           7.36           10.06       

With contingent deferred sales charge (d)

    2.91                4.55           11.53           7.36           10.06       

Class I (GCIEX)

    4.42                6.62           12.65           8.36           10.55       

In the current prospectuses dated January 28, 2015, the expense ratios for Class AAA, A, C, and I Shares are 1.37%, 1.37%, 2.12%, and 1.12%, respectively. See page 13 for the expense ratios for the six months ended March 31, 2015. Class AAA and Class I Shares do not have a sales charge. The maximum sales charge for Class A and C Shares is 5.75% and 1.00%, respectively.

(a)

 

Returns represent past performance and do not guarantee future results. Total returns and average annual returns reflect changes in share price, reinvestment of distributions, and are net of expenses. Investment returns and the principal value of an investment will fluctuate. When shares are  redeemed, they may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data presented. Visit www.gabelli.com for performance information as of the most recent month end. The Fund imposes a 2% redemption fee on shares sold or  exchanged within seven days after the date of purchase. Performance returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized. Investors should  carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectuses contain information about  these and other matters and should be read carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus please visit www.gabelli.com. The Class AAA Share NAVs are used to calculate performance for the periods prior to the issuance of Class A Shares and Class C Shares on December 31, 2003 and Class I Shares on January 11, 2008. The actual performance of the Class A Shares and Class C Shares would have been lower due to the additional fees and expenses associated with these classes of shares. The actual performance of the Class I Shares would have been higher due to lower expenses related to this class of shares. The S&P 500 Index is a market capitalization weighted index of 500 large capitalization stocks commonly used to represent the U.S. equity market. The Nasdaq Composite Index is an unmanaged indicator of stock market performance. The Lipper Equity Income Fund Average includes the 30 largest equity funds in this category tracked by Lipper, Inc. Dividends are considered reinvested, except for the Nasdaq Composite Index. You  cannot invest directly in an index.

(b)

 

The Fund’s fiscal year ends September 30.

(c)

 

Performance results include the effect of the maximum 5.75% sales charge at the beginning of the period.

(d)

 

Assuming payment of the 1% maximum contingent deferred sales charge imposed on redemptions made within one year of purchase.

(e)

 

S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite Index since inception performance is as of December 31, 1991.

 


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund   
Disclosure of Fund Expenses (Unaudited)   
For the Six Month Period from October 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015      Expense Table   

 

We believe it is important for you to understand the impact of fees and expenses regarding your investment. All mutual funds have operating expenses. As a shareholder of a fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of a fund. When a fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets, this figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

The Expense Table below illustrates your Fund’s costs in two ways:

Actual Fund Return: This section provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use this section to help you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period after any fee waivers and expense reimbursements. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the Fund’s actual return during the past six months, and the “Expenses Paid During Period” shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the Fund. You may use this information, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your Fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid during this period.

Hypothetical 5% Return: This section provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio. It assumes a hypothetical annualized return of 5% before expenses during the period shown. In this case – because the hypothetical return used is not the Fund’s actual return – the results do not apply to your investment and you cannot use the hypothetical account value and expense to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. This example is useful in making comparisons of the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees, or exchange fees, if any, which are described in the Prospectus. If these costs were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Therefore, the 5% hypothetical return is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds.

 

     Beginning
Account Value
10/01/14
  Ending
Account Value
03/31/15
  Annualized
Expense
Ratio
  Expenses  
Paid During
Period*    

The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Actual Fund Return

Class AAA

  $1,000.00   $1,042.60   1.38%   $  7.03  

Class A

  $1,000.00   $1,043.10   1.38%   $  7.03  

Class C

  $1,000.00   $1,039.10   2.13%   $10.83  

Class I

  $1,000.00   $1,044.20   1.13%   $  5.76  

Hypothetical 5% Return

Class AAA

  $1,000.00   $1,018.05   1.38%   $  6.94  

Class A

  $1,000.00   $1,018.05   1.38%   $  6.94  

Class C

  $1,000.00   $1,014.31   2.13%   $10.70  

Class I

  $1,000.00   $1,019.30   1.13%   $  5.69  
*

Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio for the last six months multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half year (182 days), then divided by 365.

 

 

2


Summary of Portfolio Holdings (Unaudited)

The following table presents portfolio holdings as a percent of net assets as of March 31, 2015:

The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

 

Financial Services

     16.4

Health Care

     13.7

Food and Beverage

     10.9

Retail

     9.4

Diversified Industrial

     4.4

Energy and Utilities: Oil

     4.2

Consumer Products

     3.2

Automotive: Parts and Accessories

     3.1

Telecommunications

     3.1

Aerospace

     2.9

Energy and Utilities: Integrated

     2.3

Specialty Chemicals

     2.0

Entertainment

     1.9

Energy and Utilities: Natural Gas

     1.8

Energy and Utilities: Services

     1.7

Computer Hardware

     1.5

Computer Software and Services

     1.5

Electronics

     1.4

Automotive

     1.2

Equipment and Supplies

     1.2

Machinery

     1.2

Metals and Mining

     1.1

Business Services

     1.0

Wireless Communications

     1.0

Broadcasting

     0.9

Cable and Satellite

     0.9

Hotels and Gaming

     0.9

Agriculture

     0.7

Real Estate Investment Trusts

     0.7

Communications Equipment

     0.7

Energy and Utilities: Electric

     0.6

Building and Construction

     0.4

Environmental Services

     0.4

Transportation

     0.4

Aviation: Parts and Services

     0.4

Energy and Utilities: Water

     0.3

Consumer Services

     0.2

U.S. Government Obligations

     0.2

Paper and Forest Products

     0.1

Publishing

     0.1

Real Estate

     0.0

Other Assets and Liabilities (Net)

     0.0
  

 

 

 
     100.0
  

 

 

 
 

 

The Fund files a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. Shareholders may obtain this information at www.gabelli.com or by calling the Fund at 800-GABELLI (800-422-3554). The Fund’s Form N-Q is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 800-SEC-0330.

Proxy Voting

The Fund files Form N-PX with its complete proxy voting record for the twelve months ended June 30, no later than August 31 of each year. A description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies, procedures, and how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities is available without charge, upon request, by (i) calling 800-GABELLI (800-422-3554); (ii) writing to The Gabelli Funds at One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422; or (iii) visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

3


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Schedule of Investments — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares          Cost    

Market

Value

 
   COMMON STOCKS — 99.3%   
   Aerospace — 2.9%   
  70,000      

Exelis Inc.

  $ 788,791      $ 1,705,900   
  2,000      

Lockheed Martin Corp.

    47,350        405,920   
  10,000      

Raytheon Co.

    279,200        1,092,500   
  285,000      

Rockwell Automation Inc.

    12,851,088        33,057,150   
  2,000      

Rockwell Collins Inc.

    15,844        193,100   
  1,625,000      

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

    12,119,318        22,972,195   
  117,000      

The Boeing Co.

    6,864,786        17,559,360   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       32,966,377        76,986,125   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Agriculture — 0.7%   
  100,000      

Archer Daniels Midland Co.

    2,734,560        4,740,000   
  125,000      

Monsanto Co.

    2,111,155        14,067,500   
  12,000      

The Mosaic Co.

    186,246        552,720   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       5,031,961        19,360,220   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Automotive — 1.2%   
  760,000      

Ford Motor Co.

    10,712,651        12,266,400   
  115,000      

General Motors Co.

    3,308,019        4,312,500   
  475,000      

Navistar International Corp.†

    12,226,462        14,012,500   
  31,000      

PACCAR Inc.

    1,399,566        1,957,340   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       27,646,698        32,548,740   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Automotive: Parts and Accessories — 3.1%   
  8,000      

BorgWarner Inc.

    246,560        483,840   
  200,000      

Dana Holding Corp.

    3,459,118        4,232,000   
  84,512      

Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp.†

    956,290        1,124,851   
  500,000      

Genuine Parts Co.

    22,397,791        46,595,000   
  6,000      

Johnson Controls Inc.

    50,425        302,640   
  50,000      

Modine Manufacturing Co.†

    465,332        673,500   
  100,000      

O’Reilly Automotive Inc.†

    2,825,185        21,624,000   
  47,000      

Tenneco Inc.†

    717,637        2,698,740   
  150,000      

The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack†

    1,654,558        1,443,000   
  11,000      

TRW Automotive Holdings

   
  

Corp.†

    1,120,802        1,153,350   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
           33,893,698            80,330,921   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Aviation: Parts and Services — 0.4%   
  60,000      

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

    926,093        4,436,400   
  74,000      

GenCorp Inc.†

    442,031        1,716,060   
  3,000      

Precision Castparts Corp.

    283,757        630,000   
  29,000      

United Technologies Corp.

    1,453,950        3,398,800   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       3,105,831        10,181,260   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Broadcasting — 0.9%    
  310,000      

CBS Corp., Cl. A, Voting

    6,173,196        19,105,300   
  85,000      

CBS Corp., Cl. B, Non-Voting

    1,920,861        5,153,550   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       8,094,057        24,258,850   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
Shares          Cost    

Market

Value

 
   Building and Construction — 0.4%   
  240,000      

Fortune Brands Home & Security Inc.

  $ 2,635,459      $ 11,395,200   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Business Services — 1.0%   
  37,000      

Automatic Data Processing Inc.

    1,358,159        3,168,680   
  37,789      

Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc., Cl. B†

    881,223        1,343,399   
  188,000      

Diebold Inc.

    6,436,650        6,666,480   
  4,000      

Landauer Inc.

    134,546        140,560   
  102,000      

MasterCard Inc., Cl. A

    871,879        8,811,780   
  30,000      

McGraw Hill Financial Inc.

    1,225,693        3,102,000   
  10,000      

MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc., Cl. A

    775,807        722,000   
  40,000      

Pentair plc

    1,223,885        2,515,600   
  4,888      

Vectrus Inc.†

    74,255        124,595   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       12,982,097        26,595,094   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Cable and Satellite — 0.9%   
  15,000      

AMC Networks Inc., Cl. A†

    584,613        1,149,600   
  140,000      

Cablevision Systems Corp., Cl. A

    1,650,260        2,562,000   
  20,000      

DIRECTV†

    1,174,862        1,702,000   
  170,000      

DISH Network Corp., Cl. A†

    3,362,422        11,910,200   
  16,000      

EchoStar Corp., Cl. A†

    478,840        827,520   
  58,000      

Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., Cl. A

    2,452,305        3,976,480   
  11,000      

Time Warner Cable Inc.

    1,481,831        1,648,680   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       11,185,133        23,776,480   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Communications Equipment — 0.7%   
  750,000      

Corning Inc.

    10,078,371        17,010,000   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Computer Hardware — 1.5%   
  25,000      

Apple Inc.

    1,831,009        3,110,750   
  300,000      

Hewlett-Packard Co.

    6,437,423        9,348,000   
  171,000      

International Business Machines Corp.

    14,194,384        27,445,500   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
           22,462,816            39,904,250   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Computer Software and Services — 1.5%   
  11,500      

CDK Global Inc.

    176,717        537,740   
  40,000      

eBay Inc.†

    1,668,526        2,307,200   
  460,000      

EMC Corp.

    11,993,022        11,757,600   
  118,000      

Fidelity National Information Services Inc.

    2,089,600        8,031,080   
  235,000      

Microsoft Corp.

    6,532,001        9,553,925   
  170,000      

Yahoo! Inc.†

    2,777,079        7,553,950   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       25,236,945        39,741,495   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Consumer Products — 3.2%   
  45,000      

Altria Group Inc.

    538,092        2,250,900   
  155,000      

Avon Products Inc.

    2,790,163        1,238,450   
  73,000      

Energizer Holdings Inc.

    3,695,575        10,077,650   
 

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

4


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares          Cost    

Market

Value

 
   COMMON STOCKS (Continued)     
   Consumer Products (Continued)     
  12,000      

Hanesbrands Inc.

  $ 65,370      $ 402,120   
  2,000      

National Presto Industries Inc.

    60,046        126,780   
  50,000      

Philip Morris International Inc.

    1,501,172        3,766,500   
  105,000      

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc

    3,364,292        9,033,863   
  25,500      

Svenska Cellulosa AB, Cl. A

    439,719        592,187   
  1,250,000      

Swedish Match AB

    17,825,734        36,808,462   
  205,000      

The Procter & Gamble Co.

    11,973,693        16,797,700   
  81,000      

Unilever NV - NY Shares

    1,639,778        3,382,560   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       43,893,634        84,477,172   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Consumer Services — 0.2%     
  4,000      

Allegion plc

    59,917        244,680   
  150,000      

Rollins Inc.

    381,843        3,709,500   
  26,000      

The ADT Corp.

    795,501        1,079,520   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       1,237,261        5,033,700   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Diversified Industrial — 4.1%     
  3,000      

Acuity Brands Inc.

    30,712        504,480   
  2,500      

Alstom SA†

    107,184        77,230   
  100,000      

Crane Co.

    3,402,503        6,241,000   
  80,000      

Eaton Corp. plc

    3,945,548        5,435,200   
  1,500,000      

General Electric Co.

    29,741,605        37,215,000   
  229,000      

Honeywell International Inc.

    8,347,347        23,886,990   
  50,000      

ITT Corp.

    1,004,526        1,995,500   
  50,000      

Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd.

    2,372,853        3,160,000   
  180,000      

Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd.

    4,227,653        6,300,000   
  120,000      

Textron Inc.

    763,372        5,319,600   
  350,000      

Toray Industries Inc.

    2,392,238        2,938,675   
  26,000      

Trinity Industries Inc.

    376,576        923,260   
  305,000      

Tyco International plc

    6,428,113        13,133,300   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
           63,140,230            107,130,235   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Electronics — 1.4%     
  53,000      

Dolby Laboratories Inc., Cl. A

    2,147,559        2,022,480   
  350,000      

Intel Corp.

    7,147,342        10,944,500   
  26,000      

Sony Corp., ADR

    561,085        696,280   
  75,000      

TE Connectivity Ltd.

    2,535,752        5,371,500   
  315,000      

Texas Instruments Inc.

    7,599,008        18,013,275   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       19,990,746        37,048,035   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Energy and Utilities: Electric — 0.6%     
  52,000      

American Electric Power Co. Inc.

    1,949,033        2,925,000   
  3,200      

DTE Energy Co.

    128,118        258,208   
  90,000      

El Paso Electric Co.

    820,152        3,477,600   
  82,000      

Great Plains Energy Inc.

    2,061,892        2,187,760   
  100,000      

Korea Electric Power Corp., ADR†

    1,479,637        2,050,000   
Shares          Cost    

Market

Value

 
  260,000      

The AES Corp.

  $ 2,425,053      $ 3,341,000   
  14,000      

UIL Holdings Corp.

    346,227        719,880   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       9,210,112        14,959,448   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Energy and Utilities: Integrated — 2.3%     
  220,000      

CONSOL Energy Inc.

    8,441,542        6,135,800   
  88,000      

Dominion Resources Inc.

    3,567,789        6,236,560   
  70,000      

Duke Energy Corp.

    3,262,665        5,374,600   
  148,500      

Energy Transfer Equity LP

    2,400,792        9,408,960   
  29,000      

Eni SpA

    304,221        502,968   
  120,000      

Eversource Energy

    2,464,860        6,062,400   
  35,500      

FirstEnergy Corp.

    1,025,476        1,244,630   
  13,069      

Iberdrola SA, ADR

    299,699        336,853   
  6,000      

Integrys Energy Group Inc.

    287,958        432,120   
  100,000      

NextEra Energy Inc.

    5,106,681        10,405,000   
  135,000      

OGE Energy Corp.

    1,845,256        4,267,350   
  118,000      

PNM Resources Inc.

    1,394,458        3,445,600   
  28,000      

Suncor Energy Inc., New York

    734,371        819,000   
  2,000      

Suncor Energy Inc., Toronto

    61,550        58,442   
  44,000      

TECO Energy Inc.

    555,612        853,600   
  128,000      

Westar Energy Inc.

    2,065,637        4,961,280   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       33,818,567        60,545,163   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Energy and Utilities: Natural Gas — 1.7%     
  10,000      

AGL Resources Inc.

    178,125        496,500   
  6,500      

Atmos Energy Corp.

    170,977        359,450   
  40,000      

California Resources Corp.

    165,802        304,400   
  145,000      

Kinder Morgan Inc.

    4,421,051        6,098,700   
  314,000      

National Fuel Gas Co.

    15,777,258        18,943,620   
  34,000      

ONE Gas Inc.

    187,197        1,469,820   
  132,000      

ONEOK Inc.

    1,333,436        6,367,680   
  24,000      

Piedmont Natural Gas Co. Inc.

    394,017        885,840   
  66,000      

Southwest Gas Corp.

    1,680,648        3,839,220   
  178,000      

Spectra Energy Corp.

    3,903,654        6,438,260   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
           28,212,165            45,203,490   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Energy and Utilities: Oil — 4.2%     
  200,000      

Anadarko Petroleum Corp.

    10,740,292        16,562,000   
  414,000      

BP plc, ADR

    18,002,060        16,191,540   
  10,000      

Canadian Oil Sands Ltd.

    187,065        77,770   
  188,000      

Chevron Corp.

    8,670,601        19,736,240   
  180,000      

ConocoPhillips

    4,001,446        11,206,800   
  16,000      

Denbury Resources Inc.

    267,097        116,640   
  58,000      

Devon Energy Corp.

    2,515,153        3,497,980   
  151,000      

Exxon Mobil Corp.

    4,905,886        12,835,000   
  120,000      

Hess Corp.

    7,451,605        8,144,400   
  38,000      

Marathon Oil Corp.

    942,102        992,180   
  18,000      

Marathon Petroleum Corp.

    565,270        1,843,020   
  100,000      

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

    3,979,249        7,300,000   
  4,000      

PetroChina Co. Ltd., ADR

    317,768        444,840   
  36,000      

Repsol SA, ADR

    742,075        670,680   
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

5


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

                 Market  
  Shares          Cost     Value  
   COMMON STOCKS (Continued)     
   Energy and Utilities: Oil (Continued)     
  120,000      

Royal Dutch Shell plc, Cl. A, ADR

  $ 5,524,835      $ 7,158,000   
  40,000      

Statoil ASA

    1,019,952        709,063   
  80,000      

Statoil ASA, ADR

    1,779,821        1,407,200   
  17,518      

Total SA, ADR

    290,564        869,944   
  40,000      

WesternZagros Resources Ltd.†

    147,109        11,054   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
           72,049,950            109,774,351   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Energy and Utilities: Services — 1.7%     
  18,000      

ABB Ltd., ADR

    220,734        381,060   
  52,000      

Cameron International Corp.†

    746,014        2,346,240   
  350,000      

Halliburton Co.

    10,342,941        15,358,000   
  94,000      

Oceaneering International Inc.

    2,032,090        5,069,420   
  40,000      

Schlumberger Ltd.

    1,275,020        3,337,600   
  40,000      

Transocean Ltd.

    2,068,291        586,800   
  1,442,000      

Weatherford International plc†

    22,596,500        17,736,600   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       39,281,590        44,815,720   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Energy and Utilities: Water — 0.3%     
  45,000      

Aqua America Inc.

    458,537        1,185,750   
  230,000      

Severn Trent plc

    6,170,207        7,024,904   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       6,628,744        8,210,654   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Entertainment — 1.9%     
  150,000      

Grupo Televisa SAB, ADR†

    3,532,655        4,951,500   
  36,000      

The Madison Square Garden Co., Cl. A†

    482,024        3,047,400   
  117,000      

Time Warner Inc.

    3,249,930        9,879,480   
  140,016      

Twenty-First Century Fox Inc., Cl. B

    4,461,794        4,603,726   
  304,000      

Viacom Inc., Cl. A

    12,104,799        20,881,760   
  275,000      

Vivendi SA

    7,613,930        6,837,891   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       31,445,132        50,201,757   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Environmental Services — 0.4%     
  50,000      

Republic Services Inc.

    1,684,307        2,028,000   
  175,000      

Waste Management Inc.

    5,905,150        9,490,250   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       7,589,457        11,518,250   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Equipment and Supplies — 1.2%     
  34,000      

A.O. Smith Corp.

    238,161        2,232,440   
  28,000      

Danaher Corp.

    1,074,985        2,377,200   
  195,000      

Flowserve Corp.

    2,596,378        11,015,550   
  24,000      

Graco Inc.

    1,307,940        1,731,840   
  12,000      

Ingersoll-Rand plc

    249,750        816,960   
  25,000      

Minerals Technologies Inc.

    880,441        1,827,500   
  190,000      

Mueller Industries Inc.

    3,794,476        6,864,700   
  16,500      

Parker Hannifin Corp.

    848,060        1,959,870   
                 Market  
Shares          Cost     Value  
  69,800      

Tenaris SA, ADR

  $ 2,588,923      $ 1,954,400   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       13,579,114        30,780,460   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Financial Services — 16.4%     
  6,579      

Alleghany Corp.†

    1,015,114        3,203,973   
  405,000      

AllianceBernstein Holding LP

    8,387,175        12,502,350   
  362,000      

American Express Co.

    14,826,769        28,279,440   
  530,000      

American International Group Inc.

    14,058,173        29,038,700   
  30,237      

Argo Group International Holdings Ltd.

    772,080        1,516,386   
  22,362      

Banco Popular Espanol SA

    199,811        109,595   
  5,195      

Banco Santander Chile, ADR

    29,250        112,628   
  160,000      

Banco Santander SA, ADR

    1,233,058        1,192,000   
  320,000      

Bank of America Corp.

    3,184,684        4,924,800   
  13,056      

BNP Paribas SA

    580,935        794,153   
  510,000      

Citigroup Inc.

        20,768,079            26,275,200   
  43,000      

Deutsche Bank AG

    1,652,315        1,493,390   
  78,000      

Dundee Corp., Cl. A†

    1,828,287        722,388   
  44,000      

Eaton Vance Corp.

    1,344,333        1,832,160   
  135,000      

Federated Investors Inc., Cl. B

    3,335,727        4,575,150   
  34,167      

Fidelity Southern Corp.

    284,705        576,739   
  270,000      

H&R Block Inc.

    4,898,488        8,658,900   
  80,000      

Hudson City Bancorp Inc.

    705,871        838,400   
  55,000      

Interactive Brokers Group Inc., Cl. A

    837,556        1,871,100   
  315,034      

Janus Capital Group Inc.

    3,167,807        5,415,434   
  274,000      

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

    9,683,358        16,598,920   
  82,758      

Julius Baer Group Ltd.

    2,738,518        4,152,377   
  32,000      

Kemper Corp.

    868,650        1,246,720   
  90,100      

Kinnevik Investment AB, Cl. A

    1,682,511        3,031,877   
  19,000      

Kinnevik Investment AB, Cl. B

    278,394        635,602   
  473,000      

Legg Mason Inc.

    11,114,576        26,109,600   
  15,000      

Leucadia National Corp.

    263,160        334,350   
  180,000      

Loews Corp.

    7,797,363        7,349,400   
  156,000      

M&T Bank Corp.

    11,432,160        19,812,000   
  365,000      

Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc.

    11,002,192        20,472,850   
  370,000      

Morgan Stanley

    9,894,694        13,205,300   
  310,000      

Navient Corp.

    2,516,173        6,302,300   
  110,000      

Northern Trust Corp.

    5,280,932        7,661,500   
  28,000      

Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC, Cl. A

    283,762        353,920   
  40,000      

Oritani Financial Corp

    400,000        582,000   
  45,000      

Popular Inc.†

    1,154,011        1,547,550   
  34,000      

Royal Bank of Canada

    1,832,292        2,052,240   
  350,000      

SLM Corp.

    1,748,305        3,248,000   
  170,000      

State Street Corp.

    7,766,302        12,500,100   
  310,000      

Sterling Bancorp

    3,484,951        4,157,100   
  12,000      

SunTrust Banks Inc.

    251,737        493,080   
  82,000      

T. Rowe Price Group Inc.

    3,733,964        6,640,360   
  105,000      

TD Ameritrade Holding Corp.

    1,773,636        3,912,300   
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

6


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  COMMON STOCKS (Continued)     
  Financial Services (Continued)     
  1,150,000     

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

  $ 33,972,343      $ 46,276,000   
  3,000     

The Dun & Bradstreet Corp.

    105,969        385,080   
  22,600     

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

    2,835,108        4,248,122   
  180,000     

The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.

    5,665,884        7,527,600   
  106,000     

The PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

    5,651,498        9,883,440   
  23,000     

The Travelers Companies Inc.

    900,689        2,486,990   
  90,000     

W. R. Berkley Corp.

    3,297,008        4,545,900   
  140,000     

Waddell & Reed Financial Inc., Cl. A

    3,211,846        6,935,600   
  920,000     

Wells Fargo & Co.

    29,357,941        50,048,000   
  402,000     

Wright Investors’ Service Holdings Inc.†

    989,526        743,700   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          266,079,670            429,412,764   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Food and Beverage — 10.9%

  

 
  1,000     

Ajinomoto Co. Inc.

    15,519        21,966   
  30,000     

Anheuser-Busch InBev NV

    496,266        3,670,889   
  194,392     

Brown-Forman Corp., Cl. A

    7,502,319        17,646,906   
  20,250     

Brown-Forman Corp., Cl. B

    825,919        1,829,588   
  218,000     

Campbell Soup Co.

    7,195,378        10,147,900   
  80,000     

Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd., ADR

    246,845        657,200   
  20,000     

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.

    450,000        884,000   
  14,500     

Coca-Cola Femsa SAB de CV, ADR

    590,410        1,157,970   
  18,000     

Constellation Brands Inc., Cl. A†

    223,261        2,091,780   
  144,000     

Danone SA

    7,408,425        9,695,791   
  550,000     

Davide Campari-Milano SpA

    3,822,395        3,841,046   
  60,000     

Dean Foods Co.

    813,595        991,800   
  3,000     

Diageo plc

    79,177        82,751   
  102,000     

Diageo plc, ADR

    6,285,132        11,278,140   
  100,000     

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.

    2,204,944        7,848,000   
  133,000     

Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV, ADR†

    3,194,849        12,435,500   
  240,000     

General Mills Inc.

    6,648,484        13,584,000   
  3,000,000     

Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV, Cl. A

    2,411,096        8,478,710   
  148,000     

Heineken NV

    6,988,553        11,303,456   
  17,000     

Heineken NV, ADR

    430,190        648,380   
  240,000     

ITO EN Ltd.

    4,972,831        5,184,808   
  37,800     

Kellogg Co.

    1,876,549        2,492,910   
  140,500     

Kraft Foods Group Inc.

    4,280,184        12,239,658   
  28,000     

McCormick & Co. Inc., Non-Voting

    1,282,199        2,159,080   
  990,000     

Mondelēz International Inc., Cl. A

    19,070,335        35,729,100   
  115,000     

Nestlé SA

    3,174,203        8,685,944   
Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  65,000     

Nestlé SA, ADR

  $ 3,829,280      $ 4,889,336   
  130,000     

NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS CO. LTD.

    4,309,367        6,405,970   
  4,100,000     

Parmalat SpA

    11,486,833        10,968,366   
  113,000     

PepsiCo Inc.

    7,253,590        10,805,060   
  45,000     

Pernod Ricard SA

    3,674,041        5,329,724   
  10,000     

Post Holdings Inc.†

    263,033        468,400   
  58,000     

Remy Cointreau SA

    3,534,133        4,271,951   
  20,000     

SABMiller plc

    733,959        1,050,242   
  220,000     

Sapporo Holdings Ltd.

    1,080,450        873,140   
  767,000     

The Coca-Cola Co.

    18,921,557        31,101,850   
  2,000     

The Hershey Co.

    72,601        201,820   
  161,003     

The WhiteWave Foods Co.†

    2,204,291        7,138,873   
  95,113     

Tootsie Roll Industries Inc.

    1,956,715        3,226,243   
  70,000     

Tyson Foods Inc., Cl. A

    701,556        2,681,000   
  155,000     

Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd.

    4,171,714        10,817,109   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          156,682,178            285,016,357   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Health Care — 13.7%

   
  38,000     

Abbott Laboratories

    1,098,377        1,760,540   
  18,500     

AbbVie Inc.

    460,207        1,082,990   
  7,500     

Actavis plc†

    1,080,000        2,232,150   
  40,000     

Aetna Inc.

    1,658,697        4,261,200   
  115,000     

Baxter International Inc.

    5,152,829        7,877,500   
  94,000     

Becton, Dickinson and Co.

    7,166,641        13,497,460   
  23,000     

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Cl. A†

    2,376,779        3,109,140   
  640,000     

Boston Scientific Corp.†

    4,884,461        11,360,000   
  646,000     

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

    16,941,703        41,667,000   
  449,000     

Eli Lilly & Co.

    17,859,208        32,619,850   
  20,000     

Express Scripts Holding Co.†

    1,010,819        1,735,400   
  14,076     

GlaxoSmithKline plc, ADR

    635,995        649,607   
  22,000     

Henry Schein Inc.†

    566,365        3,071,640   
  160,000     

Hospira Inc.†

    5,108,130        14,054,400   
  105,000     

Indivior plc†

    68,659        295,937   
  313,000     

Johnson & Johnson

    19,753,268        31,487,800   
  22,000     

Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings†

    1,656,832        2,773,980   
  88,000     

Mead Johnson Nutrition Co.

    4,124,255        8,846,640   
  40,500     

Medtronic plc

    3,038,310        3,158,595   
  510,000     

Merck & Co. Inc.

    15,703,221        29,314,800   
  274,000     

Novartis AG, ADR

    15,034,562        27,019,140   
  215,000     

Patterson Companies Inc.

    7,565,090        10,489,850   
  1,050,000     

Pfizer Inc.

    19,943,869        36,529,500   
  136,000     

Roche Holding AG, ADR

    2,632,469        4,675,680   
  40,000     

Roche Holding AG, Genusschein

    5,894,355        11,035,192   
  23,000     

Sigma-Aldrich Corp.

    3,147,557        3,179,750   
  50,000     

St. Jude Medical Inc.

    1,999,918        3,270,000   
  209,000     

Tenet Healthcare Corp.†

    5,617,325        10,347,590   
  195,000     

UnitedHealth Group Inc.

    7,390,080        23,066,550   
  18,000     

William Demant Holding A/S†

    880,509        1,528,354   
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

7


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

  Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  COMMON STOCKS (Continued)   
  Health Care (Continued)   
  60,000     

Wright Medical Group Inc.†

  $ 949,266      $ 1,548,000   
  54,000     

Zimmer Holdings Inc.

    3,182,725        6,346,080   
  80,000     

Zoetis Inc.

    2,404,538        3,703,200   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          186,987,019            357,595,515   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Hotels and Gaming — 0.9%

  

  1,050,000     

Ladbrokes plc

    2,108,191        1,624,538   
  149,000     

Las Vegas Sands Corp.

    2,433,452        8,200,960   
  80,000     

MGM Resorts International†

    813,235        1,682,400   
  45,000     

Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc.

    1,712,312        2,740,950   
  78,000     

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

    1,586,433        6,513,000   
  14,500     

Wynn Resorts Ltd.

    468,737        1,825,260   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      9,122,360        22,587,108   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Machinery — 1.2%

  

  6,000     

Caterpillar Inc.

    35,181        480,180   
  277,000     

Deere & Co.

    15,249,494        24,290,130   
  160,000     

Xylem Inc.

    4,529,039        5,603,200   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      19,813,714        30,373,510   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Metals and Mining — 1.1%

  

  940,000     

Alcoa Inc.

    9,845,411        12,144,800   
  10,000     

Carpenter Technology Corp.

    327,255        388,800   
  400,002     

Freeport-McMoRan Inc.

    7,663,670        7,580,038   
  360,000     

Newmont Mining Corp.

    13,289,099        7,815,600   
  349,000     

Peabody Energy Corp.

    6,034,011        1,717,080   
  2,000     

Royal Gold Inc.

    88,166        126,220   
  6,615     

Teck Resources Ltd., Cl. B

    533,053        90,773   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      37,780,665        29,863,311   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Paper and Forest Products — 0.1%

  

  65,000     

International Paper Co.

    2,063,726        3,606,850   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Publishing — 0.1%

  

  1,200     

Graham Holdings Co., Cl. B

    590,596        1,259,556   
  3,000     

Value Line Inc.

    41,976        43,830   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      632,572        1,303,386   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Real Estate — 0.0%

  

  78,000     

Dream Unlimited Corp., Cl. A†

    1,030,053        567,810   
  10,000     

Griffin Land & Nurseries Inc.

    224,290        310,900   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      1,254,343        878,710   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts — 0.7%

  

  65,000     

Plum Creek Timber Co. Inc.

    2,668,089        2,824,250   
  435,000     

Weyerhaeuser Co.

    10,156,287        14,420,250   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      12,824,376        17,244,500   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Retail — 9.4%

  

  16,000     

Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA

    540,728        1,289,154   
Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  40,266     

Copart Inc.†

  $ 696,640      $ 1,512,794   
  216,000     

Costco Wholesale Corp.

    11,211,462        32,722,920   
  545,000     

CVS Health Corp.

    19,324,736        56,249,450   
  100,000     

Hertz Global Holdings Inc.†

    2,296,457        2,168,000   
  110,500     

Ingles Markets Inc., Cl. A

    2,029,161        5,467,540   
  500,000     

J.C. Penney Co. Inc.†

    6,772,935        4,205,000   
  1,000     

Lands’ End Inc.†

    31,291        35,880   
  490,000     

Macy’s Inc.

    7,751,521        31,805,900   
  1,000     

Sears Canada Inc.†

    10,351        9,210   
  1,000     

Sears Holdings Corp.†

    49,410        41,380   
  209     

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc.†

    4,106        1,613   
  90,000     

Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd.

    2,692,986        3,791,804   
  500,000     

The Home Depot Inc.

    14,114,970        56,805,000   
  130,000     

Tractor Supply Co.

    1,129,573        11,057,800   
  125,000     

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.

    3,937,736        10,585,000   
  202,000     

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

    9,517,417        16,614,500   
  10,000     

Weis Markets Inc.

    300,480        497,600   
  222,000     

Whole Foods Market Inc.

    4,249,313        11,561,760   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      86,661,273            246,422,305   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Specialty Chemicals — 2.0%

  

  40,000     

Albemarle Corp.

    601,375        2,113,600   
  6,000     

Ashland Inc.

    275,062        763,860   
  100,000     

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.

    4,498,736        7,147,000   
  295,000     

Ferro Corp.†

    2,499,418        3,702,250   
  8,000     

FMC Corp.

    186,076        458,000   
  46,000     

H.B. Fuller Co.

    950,216        1,972,020   
  229,000     

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.

    11,122,420        26,884,600   
  2,000     

McCormick & Co. Inc., Cl. V

    137,120        155,780   
  3,000     

NewMarket Corp.

    11,578        1,433,400   
  4,000     

Quaker Chemical Corp.

    72,820        342,560   
  40,000     

Sensient Technologies Corp.

    822,757        2,755,200   
  100,000     

The Dow Chemical Co.

    3,443,084        4,798,000   
  4,000     

Zep Inc.

    17,026        68,120   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          24,637,688        52,594,390   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Telecommunications — 3.0%

  

  280,000     

AT&T Inc.

    7,526,146        9,142,000   
  475,000     

BCE Inc.

    10,667,948        20,121,000   
  55,000     

Belgacom SA

    1,742,927        1,926,437   
  50,000     

BT Group plc, Cl. A

    204,914        324,863   
  16,000     

BT Group plc, ADR

    469,025        1,042,720   
  40,000     

CenturyLink Inc.

    1,274,072        1,382,000   
  570,000     

Cincinnati Bell Inc.†

    2,113,891        2,012,100   
  400,000     

Deutsche Telekom AG, ADR

    6,359,094        7,294,000   
  33,000     

Loral Space & Communications Inc.†

    1,317,447        2,258,520   
  25,000     

Orange SA, ADR

    424,798        400,250   
  50,220     

Sprint Corp.†

    267,237        238,043   
  45,010     

Telefonica SA, ADR

    428,921        645,894   
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

8


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

  Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  COMMON STOCKS (Continued)   
  Telecommunications (Continued)   
  389,000     

Telephone & Data Systems Inc.

  $ 11,636,464      $ 9,686,100   
  24,000     

TELUS Corp.

    185,454        797,189   
  30,000     

TELUS Corp., New York

    687,084        997,200   
  410,000     

Verizon Communications Inc.

    15,431,692        19,938,300   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      60,737,114        78,206,616   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Transportation — 0.4%

  

  171,000     

GATX Corp.

    6,081,094        9,914,580   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Wireless Communications — 1.0%

  

  10,000,000     

Cable & Wireless Communications plc

    7,326,145        9,041,280   
  11,000     

Millicom International Cellular SA

    872,705        793,650   
  46,000     

Millicom International Cellular SA, SDR

    3,706,202        3,332,966   
  240,000     

NTT DoCoMo Inc.

    3,485,733        4,173,261   
  100,000     

Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A/S, ADR†

    1,519,216        1,303,000   
  32,000     

United States Cellular Corp.†

    1,394,584        1,143,040   
  200,000     

Vodafone Group plc, ADR

    9,861,659        6,536,000   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      28,166,244        26,323,197   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCKS

    1,464,920,181        2,603,130,169   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCKS — 0.1%   
  Food and Beverage — 0.0%   
  1,000     

Post Holdings Inc.,
3.750%(a)

    100,000        109,001   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Telecommunications — 0.1%   
  31,500     

Cincinnati Bell Inc.,
6.750%, Ser. B

    659,951        1,559,880   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

TOTAL CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCKS

    759,951        1,668,881   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

RIGHTS — 0.0%

   
  Retail — 0.0%    
  250,017     

Safeway Casa Ley, CVR,
expire 01/30/19†

    27,343        118,758   
  250,017     

Safeway PDC, CVR,
expire 01/30/17†

    1,313        12,201   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  TOTAL RIGHTS     28,656        130,959   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

WARRANTS — 0.1%

  

  Energy and Utilities: Natural Gas — 0.1%   
  330,000     

Kinder Morgan Inc.,
expire 05/25/17†

    589,946        1,353,000   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  Retail — 0.0%    
  105     

Sears Holdings Corp.,
expire 12/15/19†

  $ 522      $ 2,625   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  TOTAL WARRANTS     590,468        1,355,625   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Principal
Amount

                 
  CONVERTIBLE CORPORATE BONDS — 0.0%   
  Building and Construction — 0.0%   
$  1,000,000     

Layne Christensen Co.,
4.250%, 11/15/18

    1,000,000        688,125   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Transportation — 0.0%

  

  600,000     

Navistar International Corp., Sub. Deb.,
4.500%, 10/15/18

    597,814        535,875   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

TOTAL CONVERTIBLE CORPORATE BONDS

    1,597,814        1,224,000   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

CORPORATE BONDS — 0.3%

  

  Diversified Industrial — 0.3%   
  6,000,000     

Griffon Corp., Sub. Deb.,
4.000%, 01/15/17(a)

    5,987,012        7,773,750   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Energy and Utilities: Electric — 0.0%

  

  100,000     

Texas Competitive Electric Holdings Co. LLC, Ser. B, 10.250%, 11/01/15†

    83,290        9,250   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Retail — 0.0%

  

  3,000     

Sears Holdings Corp.,
8.000%, 12/15/19

    2,515        2,850   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

TOTAL CORPORATE BONDS

    6,072,817        7,785,850   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS — 0.2%

  

  4,850,000     

U.S. Treasury Bills,
0.060% to 0.125%††, 08/27/15 to 09/24/15

    4,847,364        4,847,663   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS — 100.0%

  $ 1,478,817,251        2,620,143,147   
   

 

 

   
 

 

Other Assets and Liabilities (Net) — 0.0%

  

    1,169,491   
     

 

 

 
 

 

NET ASSETS — 100.0%

  

  $ 2,621,312,638   
     

 

 

 
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

9


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

 

(a)

Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At March 31, 2015, the market value of Rule 144A securities amounted to $7,882,751 or 0.30% of net assets.

Non-income producing security.

††

Represents annualized yield at date of purchase.

ADR

American Depositary Receipt

CVR

Contingent Value Right

SDR

Swedish Depositary Receipt

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

10


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

Assets:

  

Investments, at value (cost $1,478,817,251)

   $ 2,620,143,147   

Receivable for Fund shares sold

     3,207,972   

Receivable for investments sold

     987,569   

Dividends and interest receivable

     5,331,627   

Prepaid expenses

     89,109   
  

 

 

 

Total Assets

     2,629,759,424   
  

 

 

 

Liabilities:

  

Payable to custodian

     4,414   

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

     4,727,067   

Payable for investment advisory fees

     2,255,120   

Payable for distribution fees

     626,366   

Payable for accounting fees

     7,500   

Payable for shareholder services fees

     604,641   

Other accrued expenses

     221,678   
  

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

     8,446,786   
  

 

 

 

Net Assets
(applicable to 90,643,077 shares outstanding)

   $ 2,621,312,638   
  

 

 

 

Net Assets Consist of:

  

Paid-in capital

   $ 1,413,744,611   

Distributions in excess of net investment income

     (16,370,918

Accumulated net realized gain on investments and foreign currency transactions

     82,641,976   

Net unrealized appreciation on investments

     1,141,325,896   

Net unrealized depreciation on foreign currency translations

     (28,927 )    
  

 

 

 

Net Assets

   $ 2,621,312,638   
  

 

 

 

Shares of Capital Stock, each at $0.001 par value:

  

Class AAA:

    

Net Asset Value, offering, and redemption price per share ($1,262,138,107 ÷ 43,276,822 shares outstanding; 150,000,000 shares authorized)

     $ 29.16   
    

 

 

 

Class A:

    

Net Asset Value and redemption price per share ($215,018,308 ÷ 7,397,616 shares outstanding; 50,000,000 shares authorized)

     $ 29.07   
    

 

 

 

Maximum offering price per share (NAV ÷ 0.9425, based on maximum sales charge of 5.75% of the offering price)

     $ 30.84   
    

 

 

 

Class C:

    

Net Asset Value and offering price per share ($361,939,141 ÷ 13,709,697 shares outstanding; 50,000,000 shares authorized)

     $ 26.40 (a) 
    

 

 

 

Class I:

    

Net Asset Value, offering, and redemption price per share ($782,217,082 ÷ 26,258,942 shares outstanding; 50,000,000 shares authorized)

     $ 29.79   
    

 

 

 

 

(a)

Redemption price varies based on the length of time held.

Statement of Operations

For the Six Months Ended March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

Investment Income:

  

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $319,197)

   $ 28,838,024   

Interest

     159,186   
  

 

 

 

Total Investment Income

     28,997,210   
  

 

 

 

Expenses:

  

Investment advisory fees

     13,618,356   

Distribution fees - Class AAA

     1,744,933   

Distribution fees - Class A

     265,287   

Distribution fees - Class C

     1,706,626   

Shareholder services fees

     1,135,068   

Shareholder communication expenses

     191,699   

Custodian fees

     146,150   

Registration expenses

     46,821   

Directors’ fees

     37,886   

Legal and audit fees

     35,566   

Interest expense

     28,325   

Accounting fees

     22,500   

Miscellaneous expenses

     63,661   
  

 

 

 

Total Expenses

     19,042,878   
  

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

     9,954,332   
  

 

 

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain/(Loss) on Investments, Securities Sold Short, and Foreign Currency:

  

Net realized gain on investments

     99,496,733   

Net realized gain on securities sold short

     103,177   

Net realized loss on foreign currency transactions

     (57,787
  

 

 

 

Net realized gain on investments, securities sold short, and foreign currency transactions

     99,542,123   
  

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation:

  

on investments

     4,326,099   

on foreign currency translations

     (4,735
  

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency translations

     4,321,364   
  

 

 

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain/(Loss) on Investments, Securities Sold Short, and Foreign Currency

     103,863,487   
  

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

   $ 113,817,819   
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

11


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

 

     Six Months  Ended
March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)
  Year  Ended
September 30, 2014

Operations:

        

Net investment income

     $ 9,954,332       $ 28,386,135  

Net realized gain on investments, securities sold short, and foreign currency transactions

       99,542,123         47,283,650  

Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments and foreign currency translations

       4,321,364         246,998,546  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

       113,817,819         322,668,331  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions to Shareholders:

        

Net investment income

        

Class AAA

       (14,788,031 )*       (27,406,848 )

Class A

       (2,290,353 )*       (3,639,863 )

Class C

       (4,069,111 )*       (2,641,166 )

Class I

       (8,167,755 )*       (7,939,425 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 
       (29,315,250 )       (41,627,302 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net realized gain

        

Class AAA

       (1,843,262 )*       (20,871,995 )

Class A

       (285,483 )*       (2,726,111 )

Class C

       (507,196 )*       (4,571,309 )

Class I

       (1,018,074 )*       (8,346,719 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 
       (3,654,015 )       (36,516,134 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Return of capital

        

Class AAA

       (11,961,188 )*       (41,806,373 )

Class A

       (1,852,535 )*       (5,575,681 )

Class C

       (3,291,269 )*       (9,187,258 )

Class I

       (6,606,427 )*       (9,001,319 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 
       (23,711,419 )       (65,570,631 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Distributions to Shareholders

       (56,680,684 )       (143,714,067 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Capital Share Transactions:

        

Class AAA

       (372,980,441 )       (250,759,913 )

Class A

       1,087,409         (22,635,248 )

Class C

       34,879,938         84,763,874  

Class I

       112,565,850         249,070,109  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Increase/(Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

       (224,447,244 )       60,438,822  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Redemption Fees

       2,094         13,357  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Increase/(Decrease) in Net Assets

       (167,308,015 )       239,406,443  

Net Assets:

        

Beginning of year

       2,788,620,653         2,549,214,210  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

End of period (including undistributed net investment income of $0 and $2,990,000, respectively)

     $ 2,621,312,638       $ 2,788,620,653  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

*

Based on year to date book income. Amounts are subject to change and recharacterization at year end.

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

12


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Financial Highlights

 

Selected data for a share of capital stock outstanding throughout each period:

 

          Income from
Investment Operations
   Distributions                 Ratios to Average Net Assets/
Supplemental Data

Year Ended

September 30

   Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Year
  

Net

Investment

Income (a)

 

Net Realized

and
Unrealized
Gain

on
Investments

   Total from
Investment
Operations
  

Net

Investment

Income

 

Net

Realized
Gain on
Investments

 

Return

of

Capital

  Total
Distributions
 

Redemption

Fees (a)(b)

  

Net Asset

Value,

End of

Period

  

Total

Return †

 

Net Assets

End of

Period

(in 000’s)

   Net
Investment
Income
  Operating
Expenses
  Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

Class AAA

                                                                  

2015(c)

     $ 28.55        $ 0.11       $ 1.10        $ 1.21        $ (0.31 )*     $ (0.04 )*     $ (0.25 )*     $ (0.60 )     $ 0.00        $ 29.16          4.26 %     $ 1,262,138          0.75 %(d)       1.38 %(d)       1 %

2014

       26.68          0.30         3.05          3.35          (0.44 )       (0.38 )       (0.66 )       (1.48 )       0.00          28.55          12.64         1,604,629          1.06         1.37         4  

2013

       22.54          0.29         4.49          4.78          (0.64 )                       (0.64 )       0.00          26.68          21.38         1,726,724          1.15         1.39         6  

2012

       18.52          0.25         4.13          4.38          (0.35 )               (0.01 )       (0.36 )       0.00          22.54          23.78         1,603,696          1.17         1.40         6  

2011

       18.65          0.16         0.07          0.23          (0.16 )               (0.20 )       (0.36 )       0.00          18.52          1.05         1,464,658          0.79         1.41         14  

2010

       17.14          0.23         1.64          1.87          (0.23 )               (0.13 )       (0.36 )       0.00          18.65          11.03         1,330,970          1.29         1.44         14  

Class A

                                                                  

2015(c)

     $ 28.45        $ 0.11       $ 1.11        $ 1.22        $ (0.31 )*     $ (0.04 )*     $ (0.25 )*     $ (0.60 )     $ 0.00        $ 29.07          4.31 %     $ 215,019          0.76 %(d)       1.38 %(d)       1 %

2014

       26.59          0.30         3.04          3.34          (0.44 )       (0.38 )       (0.66 )       (1.48 )       0.00          28.45          12.64         209,501          1.07         1.37         4  

2013

       22.47          0.28         4.48          4.76          (0.64 )                       (0.64 )       0.00          26.59          21.36         215,353          1.14         1.39         6  

2012

       18.47          0.25         4.11          4.36          (0.35 )               (0.01 )       (0.36 )       0.00          22.47          23.73         164,177          1.19         1.40         6  

2011

       18.60          0.17         0.06          0.23          (0.16 )               (0.20 )       (0.36 )       0.00          18.47          1.06         115,210          0.82         1.41         14  

2010

       17.09          0.24         1.63          1.87          (0.23 )               (0.13 )       (0.36 )       0.00          18.60          11.06         67,314          1.35         1.44         14  

Class C

                                                                  

2015(c)

     $ 25.99        $ 0.00 (b)     $ 1.01        $ 1.01        $ (0.31 )*     $ (0.04 )*     $ (0.25 )*     $ (0.60 )     $ 0.00        $ 26.40          3.91 %     $ 361,939          0.02 %(d)       2.13 %(d)       1 %

2014

       24.59          0.08         2.80          2.88          (0.25 )       (0.38 )       (0.85 )       (1.48 )       0.00          25.99          11.78         321,772          0.31         2.12         4  

2013

       20.97          0.09         4.17          4.26          (0.64 )                       (0.64 )       0.00          24.59          20.50         224,804          0.38         2.14         6  

2012

       17.38          0.09         3.86          3.95          (0.21 )               (0.15 )       (0.36 )       0.00          20.97          22.85         161,842          0.46         2.15         6  

2011

       17.65          0.02         0.07          0.09          (0.02 )               (0.34 )       (0.36 )       0.00          17.38          0.31         98,296          0.09         2.16         14  

2010

       16.36          0.10         1.55          1.65          (0.23 )               (0.13 )       (0.36 )       0.00          17.65          10.20         43,429          0.61         2.19         14  

Class I

                                                                  

2015(c)

     $ 29.11        $ 0.15       $ 1.13        $ 1.28        $ (0.31 )*     $ (0.04 )*     $ (0.25 )*     $ (0.60 )     $ 0.00        $ 29.79          4.42 %     $ 782,217          1.01 %(d)       1.13 %(d)       1 %

2014

       27.11          0.38         3.10          3.48          (0.51 )       (0.38 )       (0.59 )       (1.48 )       0.00          29.11          12.92         652,719          1.28         1.12         4  

2013

       22.84          0.35         4.56          4.91          (0.64 )                       (0.64 )       0.00          27.11          21.67         382,333          1.38         1.14         6  

2012

       18.71          0.33         4.16          4.49          (0.36 )                       (0.36 )       0.00          22.84          24.13         309,157          1.54         1.15         6  

2011

       18.80          0.23         0.04          0.27          (0.22 )               (0.14 )       (0.36 )       0.00          18.71          1.26         112,929          1.10         1.16         14  

2010

       17.23          0.35         1.58          1.93          (0.23 )               (0.13 )       (0.36 )       0.00          18.80          11.32         41,204          1.92         1.19         14  

 

    †

Total return represents aggregate total return of a hypothetical $1,000 investment at the beginning of the year and sold at the end of the period including reinvestment of distributions and does not reflect applicable sales charges. Total return for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

     *

Based on year to date book income. Amounts are subject to change and recharacterization at year end.

  (a)

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares outstanding method.

  (b)

Amount represents less than $0.005 per share.

  (c)

For the six months ended March 31, 2015, unaudited.

  (d)

Annualized.

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

13


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited)

 

1. Organization. The Gabelli Equity Income Fund is a series of the Gabelli Equity Series Funds, Inc. (the “Corporation”). The Corporation was incorporated on July 25, 1991 in Maryland. The Fund is a diversified open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and one of three separately managed portfolios of the Corporation. The Fund seeks to provide a high level of total return on its assets with an emphasis on income. The Fund commenced investment operations on January 2, 1992.

2. Significant Accounting Policies. As an investment company, the Fund follows the investment company accounting and reporting guidance, which is part of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) that may require the use of management estimates and assumptions in the preparation of its financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements.

Security Valuation. Portfolio securities listed or traded on a nationally recognized securities exchange or traded in the U.S. over-the-counter market for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last quoted sale price or a market’s official closing price as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued. If there were no sales that day, the security is valued at the average of the closing bid and asked prices or, if there were no asked prices quoted on that day, then the security is valued at the closing bid price on that day. If no bid or asked prices are quoted on such day, the security is valued at the most recently available price or, if the Board of Directors (the “Board”) so determines, by such other method as the Board shall determine in good faith to reflect its fair market value. Portfolio securities traded on more than one national securities exchange or market are valued according to the broadest and most representative market, as determined by Gabelli Funds, LLC (the “Adviser”).

Portfolio securities primarily traded on a foreign market are generally valued at the preceding closing values of such securities on the relevant market, but may be fair valued pursuant to procedures established by the Board if market conditions change significantly after the close of the foreign market, but prior to the close of business on the day the securities are being valued. Debt instruments with remaining maturities of sixty days or less that are not credit impaired are valued at amortized cost, unless the Board determines such amount does not reflect the securities’ fair value, in which case these securities will be fair valued as determined by the Board. Debt instruments having a maturity greater than sixty days for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the average of the latest bid and asked prices. If there were no asked prices quoted on such day, the security is valued using the closing bid price. U.S. government obligations with maturities greater than sixty days are normally valued using a model that incorporates market observable data such as reported sales of similar securities, broker quotes, yields, bids, offers, and reference data. Certain securities are valued principally using dealer quotations.

Securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available are fair valued as determined by the Board. Fair valuation methodologies and procedures may include, but are not limited to: analysis and review of available financial and non-financial information about the company; comparisons with the valuation and changes in valuation of similar securities, including a comparison of foreign securities with the equivalent U.S. dollar value American Depositary Receipt securities at the close of the U.S. exchange; and evaluation of any other information that could be indicative of the value of the security.

 

14


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

The inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value of the Fund’s investments are summarized into three levels as described in the hierarchy below:

   

Level 1  —  quoted prices in active markets for identical securities;

   

Level 2  —  other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.); and

   

Level 3  —  significant unobservable inputs (including the Board’s determinations as to the fair value of investments).

A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input both individually and in the aggregate that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. The summary of the Fund’s investments in securities by inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of March 31, 2015 is as follows:

 

     Valuation Inputs    
     Level 1
    Quoted Prices   
  Level 2 Other Significant
Observable Inputs
  Level 3 Significant
Unobservable Inputs
  Total Market Value
at 3/31/15

INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES:

                

ASSETS (Market Value):

                

Common Stocks (a)

     $ 2,603,130,169                       $ 2,603,130,169  

Convertible Preferred Stocks (a)

       1,668,881                     1,668,881  

Rights (a)

                     $ 130,959         130,959  

Warrants (a)

       1,355,625                         1,355,625  

Convertible Corporate Bonds (a)

             $ 1,224,000                 1,224,000  

Corporate Bonds (a)

               7,785,850                 7,785,850  

U.S. Government Obligations

               4,847,663                 4,847,663  

TOTAL INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES – ASSETS

     $ 2,606,154,675       $ 13,857,513       $ 130,959       $ 2,620,143,147  

 

(a)

Please refer to the Schedule of Investments for the industry classifications of these portfolio holdings.

The Fund did not have transfers among Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 during the six months ended March 31, 2015. The Fund’s policy is to recognize transfers among Levels as of the beginning of the reporting period.

There were no Level 3 investments held at September 30, 2014.

Additional Information to Evaluate Qualitative Information.

General. The Fund uses recognized industry pricing services – approved by the Board and unaffiliated with the Adviser – to value most of its securities, and uses broker quotes provided by market makers of securities not valued by these and other recognized pricing sources. Several different pricing feeds are received to value domestic equity securities, international equity securities, preferred equity securities, and fixed income securities. The data within these feeds is ultimately sourced from major stock exchanges and trading systems where these securities trade. The prices supplied by external sources are checked by obtaining quotations or actual transaction prices from market participants. If a price obtained from the pricing source is deemed unreliable, prices will be sought from another pricing service or from a broker/dealer that trades that security or similar securities.

Fair Valuation. Fair valued securities may be common and preferred equities, warrants, options, rights, and fixed income obligations. Where appropriate, Level 3 securities are those for which market quotations are

 

15


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

not available, such as securities not traded for several days, or for which current bids are not available, or which are restricted as to transfer. Among the factors to be considered to fair value a security are recent prices of comparable securities that are publicly traded, reliable prices of securities not publicly traded, the use of valuation models, current analyst reports, valuing the income or cash flow of the issuer, or cost if the preceding factors do not apply. A significant change in the unobservable inputs could result in a lower or higher value in Level 3 securities. The circumstances of Level 3 securities are frequently monitored to determine if fair valuation measures continue to apply.

The Adviser reports quarterly to the Board the results of the application of fair valuation policies and procedures. These include back testing the prices realized in subsequent trades of these fair valued securities to fair values previously recognized.

Derivative Financial Instruments. The Fund may engage in various portfolio investment strategies by investing in a number of derivative financial instruments for the purposes of increasing the income of the Fund, hedging against changes in the value of its portfolio securities and in the value of securities it intends to purchase, or hedging against a specific transaction with respect to either the currency in which the transaction is denominated or another currency. Investing in certain derivative financial instruments, including participation in the options, futures, or swap markets, entails certain execution, liquidity, hedging, tax, and securities, interest, credit, or currency market risks. Losses may arise if the Adviser’s prediction of movements in the direction of the securities, foreign currency, and interest rate markets is inaccurate. Losses may also arise if the counterparty does not perform its duties under a contract, or that, in the event of default, the Fund may be delayed in or prevented from obtaining payments or other contractual remedies owed to it under derivative contracts. The creditworthiness of the counterparties is closely monitored in order to minimize these risks. Participation in derivative transactions involves investment risks, transaction costs, and potential losses to which the Fund would not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The consequences of these risks, transaction costs, and losses may have a negative impact on the Fund’s ability to pay distributions.

The Fund’s derivative contracts held at March 31, 2015, if any, are not accounted for as hedging instruments under GAAP and are disclosed in the Schedule of Investments together with the related counterparty.

Swap Agreements. The Fund may enter into equity contract for difference swap transactions for the purpose of increasing the income of the Fund. The use of swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. In an equity contract for difference swap, a set of future cash flows is exchanged between two counterparties. One of these cash flow streams will typically be based on a reference interest rate combined with the performance of a notional value of shares of a stock. The other will be based on the performance of the shares of a stock. Depending on the general state of short term interest rates and the returns on the Fund’s portfolio securities at the time an equity for difference swap transaction reaches its scheduled termination date, there is a risk that the Fund will not be able to obtain a replacement transaction or that the terms of the replacement will not be as favorable as on the expiring transaction.

Unrealized gains related to swaps are reported as an asset and unrealized losses are reported as a liability in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. The change in value of swaps, including the accrual of periodic amounts of interest to be received or paid on swaps, is reported as unrealized gain or loss in the Statement

 

16


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

of Operations. A realized gain or loss is recorded upon payment or receipt of a periodic payment or termination of swap agreements. At March 31, 2015, the Fund held no investments in equity contract for difference swap agreements.

Securities Sold Short. The Fund may enter into short sale transactions. Short selling involves selling securities that may or may not be owned and, at times, borrowing the same securities for delivery to the purchaser, with an obligation to replace such borrowed securities at a later date. The proceeds received from short sales are recorded as liabilities and the Fund records an unrealized gain or loss to the extent of the difference between the proceeds received and the value of an open short position on the day of determination. The Fund records a realized gain or loss when the short position is closed out. By entering into a short sale, the Fund bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the security sold short. Dividends on short sales are recorded as an expense by the Fund on the ex-dividend date and interest expense is recorded on the accrual basis. The broker retains collateral for the value of the open positions, which is adjusted periodically as the value of the position fluctuates. At March 31, 2015, there were no short sales outstanding.

Foreign Currency Translations. The books and records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. Foreign currencies, investments, and other assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at current exchange rates. Purchases and sales of investment securities, income, and expenses are translated at the exchange rate prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions. Unrealized gains and losses that result from changes in foreign exchange rates and/or changes in market prices of securities have been included in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency translations. Net realized foreign currency gains and losses resulting from changes in exchange rates include foreign currency gains and losses between trade date and settlement date on investment securities transactions, foreign currency transactions, and the difference between the amounts of interest and dividends recorded on the books of the Fund and the amounts actually received. The portion of foreign currency gains and losses related to fluctuation in exchange rates between the initial purchase trade date and subsequent sale trade date is included in realized gain/(loss) on investments.

Foreign Securities. The Fund may directly purchase securities of foreign issuers. Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. The risks include possible revaluation of currencies, the inability to repatriate funds, less complete financial information about companies, and possible future adverse political and economic developments. Moreover, securities of many foreign issuers and their markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers.

Foreign Taxes. The Fund may be subject to foreign taxes on income, gains on investments, or currency repatriation, a portion of which may be recoverable. The Fund will accrue such taxes and recoveries as applicable, based upon its current interpretation of tax rules and regulations that exist in the markets in which it invests.

Restricted Securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in securities for which the markets are restricted. Restricted securities include securities whose disposition is subject to substantial legal or contractual restrictions. The sale of restricted securities often requires more time and results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses than does the sale of securities eligible for trading on national securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter markets. Restricted securities may sell at a price lower than

 

17


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

similar securities that are not subject to restrictions on resale. Securities freely saleable among qualified institutional investors under special rules adopted by the SEC may be treated as liquid if they satisfy liquidity standards established by the Board. The continued liquidity of such securities is not as well assured as that of publicly traded securities, and accordingly the Board will monitor their liquidity. For the restricted securities the Fund held as of March 31, 2015, refer to the Schedule of Investments.

Securities Transactions and Investment Income. Securities transactions are accounted for on the trade date with realized gain/(loss) on investments determined by using the identified cost method. Interest income (including amortization of premium and accretion of discount) is recorded on the accrual basis. Premiums and discounts on debt securities are amortized using the effective yield to maturity method. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date, except for certain dividends from foreign securities that are recorded as soon after the ex-dividend date as the Fund becomes aware of such dividends.

Determination of Net Asset Value and Calculation of Expenses. Certain administrative expenses are common to, and allocated among, various affiliated funds. Such allocations are made on the basis of each fund’s average net assets or other criteria directly affecting the expenses as determined by the Adviser pursuant to procedures established by the Board.

In calculating the NAV per share of each class, investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, redemption fees, and expenses other than class specific expenses are allocated daily to each class of shares based upon the proportion of net assets of each class at the beginning of each day. Distribution expenses are borne solely by the class incurring the expense.

Distributions to Shareholders. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions to shareholders are based on income and capital gains as determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from income and capital gains as determined under GAAP. These differences are primarily due to differing treatments of income and gains on various investment securities and foreign currency transactions held by the Fund, timing differences, and differing characterizations of distributions made by the Fund. Distributions from net investment income for federal income tax purposes include net realized gains on foreign currency transactions. These book/tax differences are either temporary or permanent in nature. To the extent these differences are permanent, adjustments are made to the appropriate capital accounts in the period when the differences arise. These reclassifications have no impact on the NAV of the Fund.

The tax character of distributions paid during the year ended September 30, 2014 was as follows:

 

Distributions paid from:   

Ordinary income

   $ 41,627,302   

Net long term capital gains

     36,516,134   

Return of capital

     65,570,631   
  

 

 

 

Total distributions paid

   $ 143,714,067   
  

 

 

 

The Fund has a fixed distribution policy. Under the policy, the Fund declares and pays monthly distributions from net investment income, capital gains, and paid-in capital. The actual source of the distribution is determined after the end of the calendar year. Pursuant to this policy, distributions during the calendar year are made in excess of required distributions. To the extent such distributions are made from current earnings and profits, they are considered ordinary income or long term capital gains. The Fund’s current distribution policy may restrict the Fund’s ability to pass through to shareholders all of its net realized long term capital gains as a

 

18


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

Capital Gain Dividend, subject to the maximum federal income tax rate of 20%, and may cause such gains to be treated as ordinary income subject to a maximum federal income tax rate of 39.6%. In addition, certain U.S. shareholders who are individuals, estates, or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay 3.8% Medicare tax on their “net investment income,” which includes dividends received from the Fund and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund. Distributions sourced from paid-in capital should not be considered as dividend yield or the total return from an investment in the Fund. The Board continues to evaluate its distribution policy in light of ongoing economic and market conditions and may change the amount of the monthly distributions in the future.

Provision for Income Taxes. The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). It is the policy of the Fund to comply with the requirements of the Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute substantially all of its net investment company taxable income and net capital gains. Therefore, no provision for federal income taxes is required.

The Fund is permitted to carry capital losses forward for an unlimited period. Capital losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short term or long term capital losses.

The following summarizes the tax cost of investments and the related net unrealized appreciation at March 31, 2015:

 

       Cost        Gross
Unrealized
Appreciation
       Gross
Unrealized
Depreciation
     Net Unrealized
Appreciation
 

Investments

     $ 1,489,180,576         $ 1,180,140,921         $ (49,178,350    $ 1,130,962,571   

The Fund is required to evaluate tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Fund’s tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Income tax and related interest and penalties would be recognized by the Fund as tax expense in the Statement of Operations if the tax positions were deemed not to meet the more-likely-than-not threshold. As of March 31, 2015, the Adviser has reviewed all open tax years and concluded that there was no impact to the Fund’s net assets or results of operations. The Fund’s federal and state tax returns for the prior three fiscal years remain open, subject to examination. On an ongoing basis, the Adviser will monitor the Fund’s tax positions to determine if adjustments to this conclusion are necessary.

3. Investment Advisory Agreement and Other Transactions. The Fund has entered into an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) with the Adviser which provides that the Fund will pay the Adviser a fee, computed daily and paid monthly, at the annual rate of 1.00% of the value of its average daily net assets. In accordance with the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides a continuous investment program for the Fund’s portfolio, oversees the administration of all aspects of the Fund’s business and affairs, and pays the compensation of all Officers and Directors of the Fund who are affiliated persons of the Adviser.

The Corporation pays each Director who is not considered an affiliated person an annual retainer of $18,000 plus $2,000 for each Board meeting attended, and they are reimbursed for any out of pocket expenses incurred in attending meetings. All Board committee members receive $1,000 per meeting attended. The Chairman of the Audit Committee receives a $3,000 annual fee, and the Lead Director receives an annual fee of $2,000. A Director may receive a single meeting fee, allocated among the participating funds, for attending certain

 

19


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

meetings held on behalf of multiple funds. Directors who are directors or employees of the Adviser or an affiliated company receive no compensation or expense reimbursement from the Corporation.

4. Distribution Plan. The Fund’s Board has adopted a distribution plan (the “Plan”) for each class of shares, except for Class I Shares, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the Class AAA, Class A, and Class C Share Plans, payments are authorized to G.distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of the Adviser, at annual rates of 0.25%, 0.25%, and 1.00%, respectively, of the average daily net assets of those classes, the annual limitations under each Plan. Such payments are accrued daily and paid monthly.

5. Portfolio Securities. Purchases and sales of securities during the six months ended March 31, 2015, other than short term securities and U.S. Government obligations, aggregated $20,854,289 and $275,348,695, respectively.

6. Transactions with Affiliates. During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Fund paid brokerage commissions on security trades of $135,597 to G.research, Inc., an affiliate of the Adviser. Additionally, the Distributor retained a total of $115,274 from investors representing commissions (sales charges and underwriting fees) on sales and redemptions of Fund shares.

The cost of calculating the Fund’s NAV per share is a Fund expense pursuant to the Advisory Agreement. During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Fund paid or accrued $22,500 to the Adviser in connection with the cost of computing the Fund’s NAV.

7. Line of Credit. The Fund participates in an unsecured line of credit of up to $75,000,000 under which it may borrow up to 15% of its net assets from the custodian for temporary borrowing purposes. Borrowings under this arrangement bear interest at the higher of the sum of the overnight LIBOR rate plus 125 basis points or the sum of the federal funds rate plus 125 basis points at the time of borrowing. This amount, if any, would be included in “interest expense” in the Statement of Operations. At March 31, 2015, there were no borrowings outstanding under the line of credit.

The average daily amount of borrowings outstanding under the line of credit during the six months ended March 31, 2015 was $5,919,379 with a weighted average interest rate of 1.15%. The maximum amount borrowed at any time during the six months ended March 31, 2015 was $29,302,000.

8. Capital Stock. The Fund offers four classes of shares – Class AAA Shares, Class A Shares, Class C Shares, and Class I Shares. Class AAA Shares are offered without a sales charge only to investors who acquire them directly from the Distributor, through selected broker/dealers, or the transfer agent. Class I Shares are offered without a sales charge, directly through the Distributor, or brokers that have entered into selling agreements specifically with respect to Class I Shares. Class A Shares are subject to a maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75%. Class C Shares are subject to a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge for one year after purchase.

The Fund imposes a redemption fee of 2.00% on all classes of shares that are redeemed or exchanged on or before the seventh day after the date of a purchase. The redemption fee is deducted from the proceeds otherwise payable to the redeeming shareholders and is retained by the Fund as an increase in paid-in capital. The redemption fees retained by the Fund during the six months ended March 31, 2015 and the year ended September 30, 2014, if any, can be found in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets under Redemption Fees.

 

20


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

Transactions in shares of capital stock were as follows:

     Six Months  Ended
March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)
         Year  Ended
September 30, 2014
 
     Shares      Amount          Shares      Amount  

Class AAA

             

Shares sold

     1,599,600       $ 46,149,326           6,104,249       $ 173,799,360   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     935,111         27,157,902           3,029,246         86,808,062   

Shares redeemed

     (15,465,111      (446,287,669        (17,655,748      (511,367,335
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net decrease

     (12,930,400    $ (372,980,441        (8,522,253    $ (250,759,913
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Class A

             

Shares sold

     1,140,513       $ 32,825,495           2,168,130       $ 61,699,822   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     125,505         3,635,491           355,177         10,149,638   

Shares redeemed

     (1,231,042      (35,373,577        (3,258,793      (94,484,708
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase/(decrease)

     34,976       $ 1,087,409           (735,486    $ (22,635,248
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Class C

             

Shares sold

     2,176,198       $ 57,036,677           4,166,730       $ 109,305,673   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     243,103         6,412,151           496,540         13,046,277   

Shares redeemed

     (1,088,418      (28,568,890        (1,427,603      (37,588,076
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase

     1,330,883       $ 34,879,938           3,235,667       $ 84,763,874   
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Class I

             

Shares sold

     8,351,787       $ 245,701,834           11,933,805       $ 354,287,712   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     482,194         14,316,912           738,803         21,622,925   

Shares redeemed

     (4,996,387      (147,452,896        (4,354,513      (126,840,528
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase

     3,837,594       $ 112,565,850           8,318,095       $ 249,070,109   
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

9. Indemnifications. The Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts. Management has reviewed the Fund’s existing contracts and expects the risk of loss to be remote.

10. Subsequent Events. Management has evaluated the impact on the Fund of all subsequent events occurring through the date the financial statements were issued and has determined that there were no subsequent events requiring recognition or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

21


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Board Consideration and Re-Approval of Advisory Agreement (Unaudited)

 

During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Board of Directors of the Corporation approved the continuation of the investment advisory agreement with the Adviser for the Fund on the basis of the recommendation by the directors (the “Independent Board Members”) who are not “interested persons” of the Fund. The following paragraphs summarize the material information and factors considered by the Independent Board Members as well as their conclusions relative to such factors.

Nature, Extent, and Quality of Services. The Independent Board Members considered information regarding the portfolio manager, the depth of the analyst pool available to the Adviser and the portfolio manager, the scope of administrative, shareholder, and other services supervised or provided by the Adviser and the absence of significant service problems reported to the Board. The Independent Board Members noted the experience, length of service, and reputation of the portfolio manager.

Investment Performance. The Independent Board Members reviewed the short, medium, and long term performance of the Fund against a peer group of equity income funds. The Independent Board Members noted that the Fund’s performance was in the fourth quartile of the funds in its category for the one year period, and in the third quartile for the three and five year periods.

Profitability. The Independent Board Members reviewed summary data regarding the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser both with an administrative overhead charge and without such a charge. The Independent Board Members also noted that a substantial portion of the Fund’s portfolio transactions were executed by an affiliated broker, that another affiliated broker received distribution fees and minor amounts of sales commissions, and that the Adviser received a moderate level of soft dollar research benefits through the Fund’s portfolio brokerage.

Economies of Scale. The Independent Board Members discussed the major elements of the Adviser’s cost structure and the relationship of those elements to potential economies of scale.

Sharing Economies of Scale. The Independent Board Members noted that the investment management fee schedule for the Fund does not take into account any potential economies of scale that may develop.

Service and Cost Comparisons. The Independent Board Members compared the expense ratios of the investment management fee, other expenses, and total expenses of the Fund with similar expense ratios of the peer group of equity income funds and noted that the Adviser’s management fee includes substantially all administrative services for the Fund as well as investment advisory services. The Independent Board Members noted that the Fund’s expense ratios were above average within this group. The Independent Board Members also noted that the Fund’s size was average within this group. The Independent Board Members also noted that the management fee structure was the same as that in effect for most of the Gabelli funds. The Independent Board Members did not compare the management fee with the fees for other types of accounts managed by the Adviser.

Conclusions. The Independent Board Members concluded that the Fund enjoyed highly experienced portfolio management services, good ancillary services, and a reasonable performance record. The Independent Board Members also concluded that the Fund’s expense ratios and the profitability to the Adviser of managing the Fund were reasonable, particularly in light of the Fund’s performance, and that economies of scale were not a significant factor in their thinking at this time. The Independent Board Members did not view the potential profitability of ancillary services as material to their decision. On the basis of the foregoing and without assigning

 

22


The Gabelli Equity Income Fund

Board Consideration and Re-Approval of Advisory Agreement (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

particular weight to any single conclusion, the Independent Board Members determined to recommend continuation of the investment management agreements to the full Board.

Based on a consideration of all these factors in their totality, the Board Members, including all of the Independent Board Members, determined that the Fund’s advisory fee was fair and reasonable with respect to the quality of services provided and in light of the other factors described above that the Board deemed relevant. Accordingly, the Board Members determined to approve the continuation of the Fund’s Advisory Agreement. The Board Members based their decision on evaluations of all these factors as a whole and did not consider any one factor as all important or controlling.

 

Portfolio Manager Biography

Mario J. Gabelli, CFA, is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GAMCO Investors, Inc. that he founded in 1977 and Chief Investment Officer – Value Portfolios of Gabelli Funds, LLC and GAMCO Asset Management Inc. Mr. Gabelli is a summa cum laude graduate of Fordham University and holds an MBA degree from Columbia Business School and Honorary Doctorates from Fordham University and Roger Williams University.

 

 

 

We have separated the portfolio manager’s commentary from the financial statements and investment portfolio due to corporate governance regulations stipulated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We have done this to ensure that the content of the portfolio manager’s commentary is unrestricted. Both the commentary and the financial statements, including the portfolio of investments, will be available on our website at www.gabelli.com.

 

 

23


Gabelli Equity Series Funds, Inc.

THE GABELLI EQUITY INCOME FUND

One Corporate Center

Rye, New York 10580-1422

 

t   800-GABELLI (800-422-3554)

f    914-921-5118

e  info@gabelli.com

    GABELLI.COM

Net Asset Value per share available daily

by calling 800-GABELLI after 7:00 P.M.

 

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Mario J. Gabelli, CFA

Chairman and

Chief Executive Officer,

GAMCO Investors, Inc.

 

Anthony J. Colavita

President,

Anthony J. Colavita, P.C.

 

Vincent D. Enright

Former Senior Vice

President and Chief

Financial Officer,

KeySpan Corp.

 

John D. Gabelli

Senior Vice President,

G.research, Inc.

 

Robert J. Morrissey

Partner,

Morrissey, Hawkins & Lynch

 

Kuni Nakamura

President,

Advanced Polymer, Inc.

 

Anthony R. Pustorino

Certified Public Accountant,

Professor Emeritus,

Pace University

 

Anthonie C. van Ekris

Chairman,

BALMAC International, Inc.

Salvatore J. Zizza

Chairman,

Zizza & Associates Corp.

 

OFFICERS

 

Bruce N. Alpert

President

 

Andrea R. Mango

Secretary

 

Agnes Mullady

Treasurer

 

Richard J. Walz

Chief Compliance Officer

 

DISTRIBUTOR

 

G.distributors, LLC

 

CUSTODIAN, TRANSFER

AGENT, AND DIVIDEND

DISBURSING AGENT

 

State Street Bank and Trust Company

 

LEGAL COUNSEL

 

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

 

 

This report is submitted for the general information of the shareholders of The Gabelli Equity Income Fund. It is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors unless preceded or accompanied by an effective prospectus.

 

 

 

 

GAB444Q115SR

LOGO

 


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Semiannual Report — March 31, 2015

To Our Shareholders,

For the six months ended March 31, 2015, the net asset value (“NAV”) per Class AAA Share of The Gabelli Focus Five Fund increased 5.4% compared with an increase of 5.9% for the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) 500 Index. See below for additional performance information.

Enclosed are the financial statements, including the schedule of investments, as of March 31, 2015.

Comparative Results

Average Annual Returns through March 31, 2015 (a)(b) (Unaudited)

    

Six Months

  1 Year    5 Year   

10 Year

 

Since

January 1,

2012(c)

 

Since

Inception

(12/31/02)

Class AAA (GWSVX)

       5.43 %       7.62 %       13.75 %       8.18 %       19.01 %       9.82 %

Russell 2500 Index

       12.29         10.07         15.48         9.62         20.15 (d)       12.38  

Russell 1000 Index

       6.55         12.73         14.73         8.34         19.47         12.02  

Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Ex-U.S. Index (“MSCI ACWI Ex-U.S.”)

       (0.51 )       (1.01 )       4.82         5.46         9.42         4.84  

Blended Index

       7.59         7.97         12.65         8.37         17.31         7.13  

S&P 500 Index

       5.93         12.73         14.47         8.01         19.05 (d)       9.43  

Class A (GWSAX)

       5.45         7.62         13.77         8.23         19.03         9.84  

With sales charge (e)

       (0.62 )       1.43         12.43         7.57         16.88         9.30  

Class C (GWSCX)

       5.05         6.76         12.92         7.41         18.13         9.04  

With contingent deferred sales charge (f)

       4.05         5.76         12.92         7.41         18.13         9.04  

Class I (GWSIX)

       5.53         7.83         14.04         8.38         19.31         9.98  

In the current prospectuses dated January 28, 2015, the expense ratios for Class AAA, A, C, and I Shares are 1.38%, 1.38%, 2.13%, and 1.13%, respectively. See page 7 for the expense ratios for the six months ended March 31, 2015. Class AAA and Class I Shares have no sales charge. The maximum sales charge for Class A and C Shares is 5.75% and 1.00%, respectively.

(a) 

 

Returns represent past performance and do not guarantee future results. Total returns and average annual returns reflect changes in share price, reinvestment of distributions, and are net of expenses. Investment returns and the principal value of an investment will fluctuate. When shares are redeemed, they may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data presented. Visit www.gabelli.com for performance information as of the most recent month end. Returns would have been lower had the Adviser not reimbursed certain expenses of the Fund. The Fund imposes a 2% redemption fee on shares sold or exchanged within seven days after the date of purchase. Performance returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectuses contain information about these and other matters and should be read carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus please visit our website at www.gabelli.com. The Class AAA Share NAVs are used to calculate performance for the periods prior to the issuance of Class I Shares on January 11, 2008. The actual performance of Class I Shares would have been higher due to lower expenses related to this class of shares. The Russell 2500 Index is a market capitalization weighted index of 2,500 U.S. traded stocks of small and mid capitalization stocks. The Russell 1000 Index is a market capitalization weighted index of 1,000 U.S. traded large capitalization stocks. The MSCI ACWI Ex-U.S. is a market capitalization weighted index of small, mid, and large capitalization stocks across developed and emerging markets, excluding U.S. stocks. The Blended Index consists of a 50% Russell 2500 Index, 25% Russell 1000 Index, and 25% MSCI ACWI Ex-U.S. Index. The S&P 500 Index is a market capitalization weighted index of 500 large capitalization stocks commonly used to represent the U.S. equity market. Dividends are considered reinvested. You cannot invest directly in an index.

(b)

 

The Fund’s fiscal year ends September 30.

(c)

 

On January 1, 2012, the Fund began operating under its current name.

(d)

 

S&P 500 Index and Russell 2500 Index performance is as of December 31, 2011.

(e)

 

Performance results include the effect of the maximum 5.75% sales charge at the beginning of the period.

(f)

 

Assuming payment of the 1% maximum contingent deferred sales charge imposed on redemptions made within one year of purchase.


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund   
Disclosure of Fund Expenses (Unaudited)   
For the Six Month Period from October 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015    Expense Table

 

 

We believe it is important for you to understand the impact of fees and expenses regarding your investment. All mutual funds have operating expenses. As a shareholder of a fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of a fund. When a fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets, this figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

The Expense Table below illustrates your Fund’s costs in two ways:

Actual Fund Return: This section provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use this section to help you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period after any fee waivers and expense reimbursements. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the Fund’s actual return during the past six months, and the “Expenses Paid During Period” shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the Fund. You may use this information, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your Fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid during this period.

Hypothetical 5% Return: This section provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio. It assumes a hypothetical annualized return of 5% before expenses during the period shown. In this case – because the hypothetical return used is not the Fund’s actual return – the results do not apply to your investment and you cannot use the hypothetical account value and expense to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. This example is useful in making comparisons of the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees, or exchange fees, if any, which are described in the Prospectus. If these costs were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Therefore, the 5% hypothetical return is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds.

 

   

Beginning

Account Value

10/01/14

 

Ending

Account Value
03/31/15

 

Annualized

Expense

Ratio

 

Expenses

Paid During

Period*

 

The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

 

Actual Fund Return

     

Class AAA

  $1,000.00   $1,054.30   1.38%   $  7.07

Class A

  $1,000.00   $1,054.50   1.38%   $  7.07

Class C

  $1,000.00   $1,050.50   2.13%   $10.89

Class I

  $1,000.00   $1,055.30   1.13%   $  5.79

Hypothetical 5% Return

     

Class AAA

  $1,000.00   $1,018.05   1.38%   $  6.94

Class A

  $1,000.00   $1,018.05   1.38%   $  6.94

Class C

  $1,000.00   $1,014.31   2.13%   $10.70

Class I

  $1,000.00   $1,019.30   1.13%   $  5.69
*

Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio for the last six months multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half year (182 days), then divided by 365.

 

 

2


Summary of Portfolio Holdings (Unaudited)

The following table presents portfolio holdings as a percent of net assets as of March 31, 2015:

The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

 

Specialty Chemicals

     15.0

Cable and Satellite

     14.1

Health Care

     13.4

Energy and Utilities

     8.7

Food and Beverage

     7.9

Entertainment

     7.0

Computer Software and Services

     6.6

Diversified Industrial

     5.2

Automotive

     5.1

Financial Services

     4.7

U.S. Government Obligations

       4.5 %

Business Services

       4.1 %

Retail

       2.6 %

Hotels and Gaming

       1.2 %

Consumer Services

       0.6 %

Other Assets and Liabilities (Net)

       (0.7 )% 
    

 

 

 
           100.0 %
    

 

 

 
 

 

The Fund files a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. Shareholders may obtain this information at www.gabelli.com or by calling the Fund at 800-GABELLI (800-422-3554). The Fund’s Form N-Q is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 800-SEC-0330.

 

Proxy Voting

 

The Fund files Form N-PX with its complete proxy voting record for the twelve months ended June 30, no later than August 31 of each year. A description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies, procedures, and how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities is available without charge, upon request, by (i) calling 800-GABELLI (800-422-3554); (ii) writing to The Gabelli Funds at One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422; or (iii) visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

 

 

3


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Schedule of Investments — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

Shares           Cost    

Market
Value

 
   COMMON STOCKS — 96.2%     
   Automotive — 5.1%     
  150,000      

General Motors Co.

   $ 4,128,617      $ 5,625,000   
  95,000      

O’Reilly Automotive Inc.†

       13,974,944          20,542,800   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        18,103,561        26,167,800   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Business Services — 4.1%     
  18,162      

Ascent Capital Group Inc., Cl. A†

     710,804        723,029   
  925,000      

The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc.

     17,525,484        20,461,000   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        18,236,288        21,184,029   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Cable and Satellite — 14.1%     
  550,000      

EchoStar Corp., Cl. A†

     24,955,145        28,446,000   
  875,000      

Liberty Global plc, Cl. C†

     31,787,349        43,583,750   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        56,742,494        72,029,750   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Computer Software and Services — 6.6%   
  100,000      

Fortinet Inc.†

     3,209,685        3,495,000   
  1,264,643      

Internap Corp.†

     8,418,231        12,937,298   
  268,800      

Ixia†

     2,603,786        3,260,544   
  1,099,830      

RealD Inc.†

     10,646,920        14,066,826   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        24,878,622        33,759,668   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Consumer Services — 0.6%   
  75,000      

The ADT Corp.

     2,237,534        3,114,000   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
  

Diversified Industrial — 5.2%

  

  1,200,000      

API Technologies Corp.†

     2,599,536        2,484,000   
  1,249,702      

Jason Industries Inc.†(a)

     11,957,246        8,847,890   
  350,000      

Tyco International plc

     11,373,844        15,071,000   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        25,930,626        26,402,890   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Energy and Utilities — 8.7%   
  415,800      

Canadian Solar Inc.†

     9,362,796        13,883,562   
  303,920      

CIRCOR International Inc.

     19,923,836        16,624,424   
  1,123,200      

Weatherford International plc†

     12,988,910        13,815,360   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        42,275,542        44,323,346   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Entertainment — 7.0%   
  800,000      

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.†

     14,746,531        20,364,000   
  475,000      

Twenty-First Century Fox Inc., Cl. B

     15,046,462        15,618,000   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        29,792,993        35,982,000   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Financial Services — 4.7%   
  150,000      

Capital One Financial Corp.

     10,756,479        11,823,000   
  180,000      

CIT Group Inc.

     7,230,158        8,121,600   
  50,000      

Quinpario Acquisition Corp. 2†

     500,000        504,000   
  50,000      

State Street Corp.

     3,348,056        3,676,500   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        21,834,693        24,125,100   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
Shares           Cost    

Market
Value

 
   Food and Beverage — 7.9%   
  1,150,000      

Boulder Brands Inc.†

   $ 10,885,135      $ 10,959,500   
  900,000      

Maple Leaf Foods Inc.

     15,967,636        16,471,517   
  275,000      

Post Holdings Inc.†

     9,658,497        12,881,000   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        36,511,268        40,312,017   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Health Care — 13.4%   
  397,900      

Alere Inc.†

     15,122,368        19,457,310   
  6,250,015      

BioScrip Inc.†(a)

     35,483,348        27,687,566   
  150,000      

Endo International plc†

     12,093,785        13,455,000   
  216,490      

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals Inc.†

     7,829,494        7,932,194   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        70,528,995        68,532,070   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Hotels and Gaming — 1.2%   
  300,000      

MGM Resorts International†

     6,275,952        6,309,000   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
  

Retail — 2.6%

  

  175,000      

CST Brands Inc.

     6,427,877        7,670,250   
  780,000      

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc.

     7,999,594        5,428,800   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        14,427,471        13,099,050   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
   Specialty Chemicals — 15.0%   
  1,250,000      

Chemtura Corp.†

     28,364,316        34,112,500   
  900,000      

Huntsman Corp.

     19,653,174        19,953,000   
  425,000      

Methanex Corp.

     23,201,274        22,767,250   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        71,218,764        76,832,750   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
  

TOTAL COMMON STOCKS

     438,994,803        492,173,470   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Principal
Amount

                   
   U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS — 4.5%   
$ 23,282,000      

U.S. Treasury Bills,
0.010% to 0.095%††,
05/14/15 to 09/10/15

     23,275,853        23,276,486   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
  

TOTAL INVESTMENTS — 100.7%

   $ 462,270,656        515,449,956   
     

 

 

   
  

Other Assets and Liabilities (Net) — (0.7)%

   

    (3,629,623
       

 

 

 
  

NET ASSETS — 100.0%

  

  $ 511,820,333   
       

 

 

 

 

 

(a)

 

 

Security considered an affiliated holding because the Fund owns at least 5% of its outstanding shares.

 

Non-income producing security.

††

 

Represents annualized yield at date of purchase.

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

4


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

Assets:

 

Investments, at value (cost $414,830,062)

  $ 478,914,500   

Investments in affiliates, at value (cost $47,440,594)

    36,535,456   

Cash

    2,675   

Deposit at brokers

    209,986   

Receivable for Fund shares sold

    1,148,218   

Receivable for investments sold

    665,780   

Dividends receivable

    236,596   

Prepaid expenses

    55,118   
 

 

 

 

Total Assets

    517,768,329   
 

 

 

 

Liabilities:

 

Payable for investments purchased

    3,637,352   

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

    1,591,422   

Payable for investment advisory fees

    434,188   

Payable for distribution fees

    109,610   

Payable for accounting fees

    7,500   

Other accrued expenses

    167,924   
 

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

    5,947,996   
 

 

 

 

Net Assets
(applicable to 35,071,110 shares outstanding)

  $ 511,820,333   
 

 

 

 

Net Assets Consist of:

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 454,439,235   

Accumulated net investment loss

    (1,986,487

Accumulated net realized gain on investments, written options, and foreign currency transactions

    6,189,101   

Net unrealized appreciation on investments

    53,179,300   

Net unrealized depreciation on foreign currency translations

    (816
 

 

 

 

Net Assets

  $ 511,820,333   
 

 

 

 

Shares of Capital Stock, each at $0.001 par value:

 

Class AAA:

 

Net Asset Value, offering, and redemption price per share ($55,474,218 ÷ 3,766,930 shares outstanding; 100,000,000 shares authorized)

    $14.73   

Class A:

 

Net Asset Value and redemption price per share ($93,959,063 ÷ 6,316,487 shares outstanding; 50,000,000 shares authorized)

    $14.88   

Maximum offering price per share (NAV ÷ 0.9425, based on maximum sales charge of 5.75% of the offering price)

    $15.79   

Class C:

 

Net Asset Value and offering price per share ($91,570,540 ÷ 6,984,541 shares outstanding; 50,000,000 shares authorized)

    $13.11 (a) 

Class I:

 

Net Asset Value, offering, and redemption price per share ($270,816,512 ÷ 18,003,152 shares outstanding; 50,000,000 shares authorized)

    $15.04   

 

(a)

Redemption price varies based on the length of time held.

Statement of Operations

For the Six Months Ended March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

Investment Income:

 

Dividends - unaffiliated (net of foreign withholding taxes of $48,036)

  $ 1,509,812   

Dividends - affiliated

    102,226   

Interest

    4,501   
 

 

 

 

Total Investment Income

    1,616,539   
 

 

 

 

Expenses:

 

Investment advisory fees

    2,636,597   

Distribution fees - Class AAA

    68,307   

Distribution fees - Class A

    122,687   

Distribution fees - Class C

    438,589   

Shareholder services fees

    182,714   

Shareholder communications expenses

    40,864   

Registration expenses

    35,357   

Custodian fees

    25,099   

Accounting fees

    22,500   

Directors’ fees

    7,460   

Legal and audit fees

    5,874   

Miscellaneous expenses

    16,978   
 

 

 

 

Total Expenses

    3,603,026   
 

 

 

 

Net Investment Loss

    (1,986,487
 

 

 

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain/(Loss) on Investments, Written Options, and Foreign Currency:

 

Net realized gain on investments - unaffiliated

    8,398,628   

Net realized loss on investments - affiliated

    (1,442,390

Net realized gain on written options

    158,715   

Net realized loss on foreign currency transactions

    (1,067
 

 

 

 

Net realized gain on investments, written options, and foreign currency transactions

    7,113,886   
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments

    20,881,827   

on foreign currency translations

    (616
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency translations

    20,881,211   
 

 

 

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain/(Loss) on Investments, Written Options, and Foreign Currency

    27,995,097   
 

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

  $ 26,008,610   
 

 

 

 
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

5


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

 

    

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)

 

Year Ended
September 30, 2014

Operations:

        

Net investment loss

     $ (1,986,487 )     $ (3,147,592 )

Net realized gain on investments, written options, and foreign currency transactions

       7,113,886         49,454,368  

Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency translations

       20,881,211         7,201,953  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

       26,008,610         53,508,729  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions to Shareholders:

        

Net realized gain

        

Class AAA

       (4,590,959 )       (613,993 )

Class A

       (8,748,506 )       (2,324,870 )

Class C

       (8,227,387 )       (788,409 )

Class I

       (24,833,402 )       (1,500,452 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Distributions to Shareholders

       (46,400,254 )       (5,227,724 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Capital Share Transactions:

        

Class AAA

       (156,366 )       1,588,875  

Class A

       (7,364,998 )       (112,908,016 )

Class C

       7,986,042         25,357,558  

Class I

       (37,415,905 )       198,370,157  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Increase/(Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

       (36,951,227 )       112,408,574  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Redemption Fees

       1,322         5,655  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Increase/(Decrease) in Net Assets

       (57,341,549 )       160,695,234  

Net Assets:

        

Beginning of year

       569,161,882         408,466,648  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

End of period (including undistributed net investment income of $0 and $0, respectively)

     $ 511,820,333       $ 569,161,882  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

6


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Financial Highlights

 

Selected data for a share of capital stock outstanding throughout each period:

 

          Income (Loss)
from Investment Operations
  Distributions                 Ratios to Average Net Assets/
Supplemental Data
Year Ended
September
30
  

Net

Asset

Value,

Beginning

of Year

  

Net

Investment

Loss (a)(b)

 

Net

Realized

and

Unrealized

Gain (Loss)

on

Investments

 

Total from

Investment

Operations

 

Net

Realized

Gain on

Investments

  Total
Distributions
  Redemption
Fees (b)(c)
   Net
Asset
Value,
End of
Period
   Total
Return †
  Net
Assets
End of
Period
(in 000’s)
   Net
Investment
Loss (a)
 

Expenses

Net of

Waivers/
Reimburse-

ments (d)

 

Expenses
Before

Waivers/
Reimburse-

ments

  Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

Class AAA

                                                            

2015(e)

       $15.22          $(0.06 )       $ 0.86         $ 0.80         $(1.29 )       $(1.29 )       $0.00          $14.73          5.43 %       $  55,474          (0.76 )%(f)       1.38 %(f)       1.38 %(f)       32 %

2014

       13.72          (0.09 )       1.75         1.66         (0.16 )       (0.16 )       0.00          15.22          12.15         57,565          (0.58 )       1.38         1.38         94  

2013

       11.11          (0.14 )       3.13         2.99         (0.38 )       (0.38 )       0.00          13.72          27.74         50,275          (1.05 )       1.54 (g)       1.54 (g)       69  

2012

       8.19          (0.11 )       3.10         2.99         (0.07 )       (0.07 )       0.00          11.11          36.71         11,714          (1.09 )       2.01         2.69 (h)       140  

2011

       8.92          (0.12 )       (0.61 )       (0.73 )                       0.00          8.19          (8.18 )       5,207          (1.21 )       2.01         2.80 (h)       40  

2010

       7.90          (0.11 )       1.13         1.02                                  8.92          12.91         5,739          (1.33 )       2.01         3.09 (h)       61  

Class A

                                                            

2015(e)

       $15.36          $(0.06 )       $ 0.87         $ 0.81         $(1.29 )       $(1.29 )       $0.00          $14.88          5.45 %       $  93,959          (0.76 )%(f)       1.38 %(f)       1.38 %(f)       32 %

2014

       13.85          (0.09 )       1.76         1.67         (0.16 )       (0.16 )       0.00          15.36          12.11         105,369          (0.59 )       1.38         1.38         94  

2013

       11.21          (0.14 )       3.16         3.02         (0.38 )       (0.38 )       0.00          13.85          27.76         192,157          (1.05 )       1.54 (g)       1.54 (g)       69  

2012

       8.26          (0.13 )       3.15         3.02         (0.07 )       (0.07 )       0.00          11.21          36.76         7,574          (1.20 )       2.01         2.69 (h)       140  

2011

       8.99          (0.12 )       (0.61 )       (0.73 )                       0.00          8.26          (8.12 )       139          (1.21 )       2.01         2.80 (h)       40  

2010

       7.96          (0.11 )       1.14         1.03                                  8.99          12.94         116          (1.27 )       2.01         3.09 (h)       61  

Class C

                                                            

2015(e)

       $13.73          $(0.10 )       $ 0.77         $ 0.67         $(1.29 )       $(1.29 )       $0.00          $13.11          5.05 %       $  91,571          (1.51 )%(f)       2.13 %(f)       2.13 %(f)       32 %

2014

       12.49          (0.18 )       1.58         1.40         (0.16 )       (0.16 )       0.00          13.73          11.25         87,443          (1.31 )       2.13         2.13         94  

2013

       10.22          (0.22 )       2.87         2.65         (0.38 )       (0.38 )       0.00          12.49          26.80         55,865          (1.79 )       2.29 (g)       2.29 (g)       69  

2012

       7.59          (0.17 )       2.87         2.70         (0.07 )       (0.07 )       0.00          10.22          35.79         1,913          (1.83 )       2.76         3.44 (h)       140  

2011

       8.33          (0.18 )       (0.56 )       (0.74 )                       0.00          7.59          (8.88 )       192          (1.96 )       2.76         3.55 (h)       40  

2010

       7.43          (0.16 )       1.06         0.90                                  8.33          12.11         119          (2.09 )       2.76         3.84 (h)       61  

Class I

                                                            

2015(e)

       $15.50          $(0.04 )       $ 0.87         $ 0.83         $(1.29 )       $(1.29 )       $0.00          $15.04          5.53 %       $270,816          (0.52 )%(f)       1.13 %(f)       1.13 %(f)       32 %

2014

       13.94          (0.05 )       1.77         1.72         (0.16 )       (0.16 )       0.00          15.50          12.39         318,785          (0.30 )       1.13         1.13         94  

2013

       11.26          (0.11 )       3.17         3.06         (0.38 )       (0.38 )       0.00          13.94          28.00         110,170          (0.79 )       1.29 (g)       1.29 (g)       69  

2012

       8.27          (0.09 )       3.15         3.06         (0.07 )       (0.07 )       0.00          11.26          37.21         14,862          (0.84 )       1.76         2.44 (h)       140  

2011

       8.98          (0.10 )       (0.61 )       (0.71 )                       0.00          8.27          (7.91 )       82          (0.96 )       1.76         2.55 (h)       40  

2010

       7.93          (0.09 )       1.14         1.05                                  8.98          13.24         67          (1.09 )       1.76         2.84 (h)       61  

 

  †

Total return represents aggregate total return of a hypothetical $1,000 investment at the beginning of the year and sold at the end of the period including reinvestment of distributions and does not reflect applicable sales charges. Total return for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

(a)

Due to capital share activity, net investment loss per share and the ratio to average net assets are not necessarily correlated among the different classes of shares.

(b)

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares outstanding method.

(c)

Amount represents less than $0.005 per share.

(d)

The Fund incurred interest expense during the years ended September 30, 2011 and 2010. If interest expense had not been incurred, each year the ratios of operating expenses to average net assets would have been 2.00% (Class AAA and Class A), 2.75% (Class C), and 1.75% (Class I), respectively. For the six months ended March 31, 2015 and the year ended September 30, 2013, there was no interest expense, and for the years ended September 30, 2014 and 2012, the effect of interest expense was minimal.

(e)

For the six months ended March 31, 2015, unaudited.

(f)

Annualized.

(g)

Under an expense deferral agreement with the Adviser, the Adviser recovered from the Fund $140,973 for the year ended September 30, 2013, representing previously reimbursed expenses from the Adviser. Had such payment not been made, the expense ratio would have been 1.48% (Class AAA and Class A), 2.23% (Class C), and 1.23% (Class I).

(h)

During the years ended September 30, 2012, 2011 and 2010, expenses were voluntarily reduced and/or reimbursed. If such fee reductions and/or reimbursements had not occurred, the ratio would have been as shown.

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

7


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited)

 

1. Organization. The Gabelli Focus Five Fund is a series of Gabelli Equity Series Funds, Inc. (the “Corporation”). The Corporation was incorporated on July 25, 1991 in Maryland. The Fund is a non-diversified open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and one of three separately managed portfolios of the Corporation. The Fund seeks to provide a high level of capital appreciation. The Fund commenced investment operations on December 31, 2002.

2. Significant Accounting Policies. As an investment company, the Fund follows the investment company accounting and reporting guidance, which is part of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) that may require the use of management estimates and assumptions in the preparation of its financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements.

Security Valuation. Portfolio securities listed or traded on a nationally recognized securities exchange or traded in the U.S. over-the-counter market for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last quoted sale price or a market’s official closing price as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued. If there were no sales that day, the security is valued at the average of the closing bid and asked prices or, if there were no asked prices quoted on that day, then the security is valued at the closing bid price on that day. If no bid or asked prices are quoted on such day, the security is valued at the most recently available price or, if the Board of Directors (the “Board”) so determines, by such other method as the Board shall determine in good faith to reflect its fair market value. Portfolio securities traded on more than one national securities exchange or market are valued according to the broadest and most representative market, as determined by Gabelli Funds, LLC (the “Adviser”).

Portfolio securities primarily traded on a foreign market are generally valued at the preceding closing values of such securities on the relevant market, but may be fair valued pursuant to procedures established by the Board if market conditions change significantly after the close of the foreign market, but prior to the close of business on the day the securities are being valued. Debt instruments with remaining maturities of sixty days or less that are not credit impaired are valued at amortized cost, unless the Board determines such amount does not reflect the securities’ fair value, in which case these securities will be fair valued as determined by the Board. Debt instruments having a maturity greater than sixty days for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the average of the latest bid and asked prices. If there were no asked prices quoted on such day, the security is valued using the closing bid price. U.S. government obligations with maturities greater than sixty days are normally valued using a model that incorporates market observable data such as reported sales of similar securities, broker quotes, yields, bids, offers, and reference data. Certain securities are valued principally using dealer quotations.

Securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available are fair valued as determined by the Board. Fair valuation methodologies and procedures may include, but are not limited to: analysis and review of available financial and non-financial information about the company; comparisons with the valuation and changes in valuation of similar securities, including a comparison of foreign securities with the equivalent U.S. dollar value American Depositary Receipt securities at the close of the U.S. exchange; and evaluation of any other information that could be indicative of the value of the security.

 

8


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

The inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value of the Fund’s investments are summarized into three levels as described in the hierarchy below:

 

   

Level  1  —  quoted prices in active markets for identical securities;

   

Level  2  —  other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.); and

   

Level  3  —  significant unobservable inputs (including the Board’s determinations as to the fair value of investments).

A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input both individually and in the aggregate that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. The summary of the Fund’s investments in securities by inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of March 31, 2015 is as follows:

 

     Valuation Inputs     
  

 

  
    

Level 1

 Quoted Prices

  

Level 2 Other Significant

Observable Inputs

  

Total Market Value

at 3/31/15

  

 

  

 

  

 

INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES:

        

ASSETS (Market Value):

        

Common Stocks (a)

   $492,173,470                    —    $492,173,470

U.S. Government Obligations

                     —    $23,276,486        23,276,486

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES – ASSETS

   $492,173,470    $23,276,486    $515,449,956

 

 

(a)

Please refer to the Schedule of Investments for the industry classifications of these portfolio holdings.

The Fund did not have transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 during the six months ended March 31, 2015. The Fund’s policy is to recognize transfers among Levels as of the beginning of the reporting period.

There were no Level 3 investments at March 31, 2015 or September 30, 2014.

Additional Information to Evaluate Qualitative Information.

General. The Fund uses recognized industry pricing services – approved by the Board and unaffiliated with the Adviser – to value most of its securities, and uses broker quotes provided by market makers of securities not valued by these and other recognized pricing sources. Several different pricing feeds are received to value domestic equity securities, international equity securities, preferred equity securities, and fixed income securities. The data within these feeds is ultimately sourced from major stock exchanges and trading systems where these securities trade. The prices supplied by external sources are checked by obtaining quotations or actual transaction prices from market participants. If a price obtained from the pricing source is deemed unreliable, prices will be sought from another pricing service or from a broker/dealer that trades that security or similar securities.

Fair Valuation. Fair valued securities may be common and preferred equities, warrants, options, rights, and fixed income obligations. Where appropriate, Level 3 securities are those for which market quotations are not available, such as securities not traded for several days, or for which current bids are not available, or which are restricted as to transfer. Among the factors to be considered to fair value a security are recent prices of comparable securities that are publicly traded, reliable prices of securities not publicly traded, the use of valuation models, current analyst reports, valuing the income or cash flow of the issuer, or cost if the preceding

 

9


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

factors do not apply. A significant change in the unobservable inputs could result in a lower or higher value in Level 3 securities. The circumstances of Level 3 securities are frequently monitored to determine if fair valuation measures continue to apply.

The Adviser reports quarterly to the Board the results of the application of fair valuation policies and procedures. These include back testing the prices realized in subsequent trades of these fair valued securities to fair values previously recognized.

Derivative Financial Instruments. The Fund may engage in various portfolio investment strategies by investing in a number of derivative financial instruments for the purposes of increasing the income of the Fund, hedging against changes in the value of its portfolio securities and in the value of securities it intends to purchase, or hedging against a specific transaction with respect to either the currency in which the transaction is denominated or another currency. Investing in certain derivative financial instruments, including participation in the options, futures, or swap markets, entails certain execution, liquidity, hedging, tax, and securities, interest, credit, or currency market risks. Losses may arise if the Adviser’s prediction of movements in the direction of the securities, foreign currency, and interest rate markets is inaccurate. Losses may also arise if the counterparty does not perform its duties under a contract, or that, in the event of default, the Fund may be delayed in or prevented from obtaining payments or other contractual remedies owed to it under derivative contracts. The creditworthiness of the counterparties is closely monitored in order to minimize these risks. Participation in derivative transactions involves investment risks, transaction costs, and potential losses to which the Fund would not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The consequences of these risks, transaction costs, and losses may have a negative impact on the Fund’s ability to pay distributions.

The Fund’s derivative contracts held at March 31, 2015, if any, are not accounted for as hedging instruments under GAAP and are disclosed in the Schedule of Investments together with the related counterparty.

Options. The Fund may purchase or write call or put options on securities or indices for the purpose of increasing the income of the Fund. As a writer of put options, the Fund receives a premium at the outset and then bears the risk of unfavorable changes in the price of the financial instrument underlying the option. The Fund would incur a loss if the price of the underlying financial instrument decreases between the date the option is written and the date on which the option is terminated. The Fund would realize a gain, to the extent of the premium, if the price of the financial instrument increases between those dates.

As a purchaser of put options, the Fund pays a premium for the right to sell to the seller of the put option the underlying security at a specified price. The seller of the put has the obligation to purchase the underlying security upon exercise at the exercise price. If the price of the underlying security declines, the Fund would realize a gain upon sale or exercise. If the price of the underlying security increases or stays the same, the Fund would realize a loss upon sale or at expiration date, but only to the extent of the premium paid.

If a written call option is exercised, the premium is added to the proceeds from the sale of the underlying security in determining whether there has been a realized gain or loss. If a written put option is exercised, the premium reduces the cost basis of the security. In the case of call options, the exercise prices are referred to as “in-the-money,” “at-the-money,” and “out-of-the-money,” respectively. The Fund may write (a) in-the-money call options when the Adviser expects that the price of the underlying security will remain stable or decline during the option period, (b) at-the-money call options when the Adviser expects that the price of the underlying

 

10


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

security will remain stable, decline, or advance moderately during the option period, and (c) out-of-the-money call options when the Adviser expects that the premiums received from writing the call option will be greater than the appreciation in the price of the underlying security above the exercise price. By writing a call option, the Fund limits its opportunity to profit from any increase in the market value of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option. Out-of-the-money, at-the-money, and in-the-money put options (the reverse of call options as to the relation of exercise price to market price) may be utilized in the same market environments that such call options are used in equivalent transactions. At March 31, 2015, the Fund held no investments in equity options contracts.

Foreign Currency Translations. The books and records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. Foreign currencies, investments, and other assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at current exchange rates. Purchases and sales of investment securities, income, and expenses are translated at the exchange rate prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions. Unrealized gains and losses that result from changes in foreign exchange rates and/or changes in market prices of securities have been included in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency translations. Net realized foreign currency gains and losses resulting from changes in exchange rates include foreign currency gains and losses between trade date and settlement date on investment securities transactions, foreign currency transactions, and the difference between the amounts of interest and dividends recorded on the books of the Fund and the amounts actually received. The portion of foreign currency gains and losses related to fluctuation in exchange rates between the initial purchase trade date and subsequent sale trade date is included in realized gain/(loss) on investments.

Foreign Securities. The Fund may directly purchase securities of foreign issuers. Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. The risks include possible revaluation of currencies, the inability to repatriate funds, less complete financial information about companies, and possible future adverse political and economic developments. Moreover, securities of many foreign issuers and their markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers.

Foreign Taxes. The Fund may be subject to foreign taxes on income, gains on investments, or currency repatriation, a portion of which may be recoverable. The Fund will accrue such taxes and recoveries as applicable, based upon its current interpretation of tax rules and regulations that exist in the markets in which it invests.

Securities Transactions and Investment Income. Securities transactions are accounted for on the trade date with realized gain/(loss) on investments determined by using the identified cost method. Interest income (including amortization of premium and accretion of discount) is recorded on the accrual basis. Premiums and discounts on debt securities are amortized using the effective yield to maturity method. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date, except for certain dividends from foreign securities that are recorded as soon after the ex-dividend date as the Fund becomes aware of such dividends.

Determination of Net Asset Value and Calculation of Expenses. Certain administrative expenses are common to, and allocated among, various affiliated funds. Such allocations are made on the basis of each fund’s average net assets or other criteria directly affecting the expenses as determined by the Adviser pursuant to procedures established by the Board.

 

11


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

In calculating the NAV per share of each class, investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, redemption fees, and expenses other than class specific expenses are allocated daily to each class of shares based upon the proportion of net assets of each class at the beginning of each day. Distribution expenses are borne solely by the class incurring the expense.

Distributions to Shareholders. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions to shareholders are based on income and capital gains as determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from income and capital gains as determined under GAAP. These differences are primarily due to differing treatments of income and gains on various investment securities and foreign currency transactions held by the Fund, timing differences, and differing characterizations of distributions made by the Fund. Distributions from net investment income for federal income tax purposes include net realized gains on foreign currency transactions. These book/tax differences are either temporary or permanent in nature. To the extent these differences are permanent, adjustments are made to the appropriate capital accounts in the period when the differences arise. These reclassifications have no impact on the NAV of the Fund.

The tax character of distributions paid during the year ended September 30, 2014 was as follows:

 

Distributions paid from:

  

Ordinary income (inclusive of short term capital gains)

   $ 3,953,466   

Net long term capital gains

     1,274,258   
  

 

 

 

Total distributions paid

   $ 5,227,724   
  

 

 

 

Provision for Income Taxes. The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). It is the policy of the Fund to comply with the requirements of the Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute substantially all of its net investment company taxable income and net capital gains. Therefore, no provision for federal income taxes is required.

The Fund is permitted to carry capital losses forward for an unlimited period. Capital losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short term or long term capital losses.

The following summarizes the tax cost of investments and the related net unrealized appreciation at March 31, 2015:

 

     Cost        Gross
Unrealized
Appreciation
     Gross
Unrealized
Depreciation
     Net
Unrealized
Appreciation

Investments

   $ 463,264,592         $70,504,203       $ (18,318,839      $52,185,364  

The Fund is required to evaluate tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Fund’s tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Income tax and related interest and penalties would be recognized by the Fund as tax expense in the Statement of Operations if the tax positions were deemed not to meet the more-likely-than-not threshold. As of March 31, 2015, the Adviser has reviewed all open tax years and concluded that there was no impact to the Fund’s net assets or results of operations. The Fund’s federal and state tax returns for the prior three fiscal years remain open, subject to examination. On an ongoing basis, the Adviser will monitor the Fund’s tax positions to determine if adjustments to this conclusion are necessary.

 

12


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

3. Investment Advisory Agreement and Other Transactions. The Fund has entered into an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) with the Adviser which provides that the Fund will pay the Adviser a fee, computed daily and paid monthly, at the annual rate of 1.00% of the value of its average daily net assets. In accordance with the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides a continuous investment program for the Fund’s portfolio, oversees the administration of all aspects of the Fund’s business and affairs, and pays the compensation of all Officers and Directors of the Fund who are affiliated persons of the Adviser.

The Corporation pays each Director who is not considered an affiliated person an annual retainer of $18,000 plus $2,000 for each Board meeting attended, and they are reimbursed for any out of pocket expenses incurred in attending meetings. All Board committee members receive $1,000 per meeting attended. The Chairman of the Audit Committee receives a $3,000 annual fee, and the Lead Director receives an annual fee of $2,000. A Director may receive a single meeting fee, allocated among the participating funds, for attending certain meetings held on behalf of multiple funds. Directors who are directors or employees of the Adviser or an affiliated company receive no compensation or expense reimbursement from the Corporation.

4. Distribution Plan. The Fund’s Board has adopted a distribution plan (the “Plan”) for each class of shares, except for Class I Shares, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the Class AAA, Class A, and Class C Share Plans, payments are authorized to G.distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of the Adviser, at annual rates of 0.25%, 0.25%, and 1.00%, respectively, of the average daily net assets of those classes, the annual limitations under each Plan. Such payments are accrued daily and paid monthly.

5. Portfolio Securities. Purchases and sales of securities during the six months ended March 31, 2015, other than short term securities and U.S. Government obligations, aggregated $163,969,788 and $220,609,932, respectively.

6. Transactions with Affiliates. During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Distributor retained a total of $44,763 from investors representing commissions (sales charges and underwriting fees) on sales and redemptions of Fund shares.

The cost of calculating the Fund’s NAV per share is a Fund expense pursuant to the Advisory Agreement. During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Fund paid or accrued $22,500 to the Adviser in connection with the cost of computing the Fund’s NAV.

7. Line of Credit. The Fund participates in an unsecured line of credit of up to $75,000,000 under which it may borrow up to 15% of its net assets from the custodian for temporary borrowing purposes. Borrowings under this arrangement bear interest at the higher of the sum of the overnight LIBOR rate plus 125 basis points or the sum of the federal funds rate plus 125 basis points at the time of borrowing. This amount, if any, would be included in “Interest expense” in the Statement of Operations. During the six months ended March 31, 2015, there were no borrowings under the line of credit.

8. Capital Stock. The Fund offers four classes of shares–Class AAA Shares, Class A Shares, Class C Shares, and Class I Shares. Class AAA Shares are offered without a sales charge only to investors who acquire them directly from the Distributor, through selected broker/dealers, or the transfer agent. Class I Shares are offered without a sales charge, directly through the Distributor, or brokers that have entered into selling agreements specifically with respect to Class I Shares. Class A Shares are subject to a maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75%. Class C Shares are subject to a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge for one year after purchase.

 

13


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

The Fund imposes a redemption fee of 2.00% on all classes of shares that are redeemed or exchanged on or before the seventh day after the date of a purchase. The redemption fee is deducted from the proceeds otherwise payable to the redeeming shareholders and is retained by the Fund as an increase in paid-in capital. The redemption fees retained by the Fund during the six months ended March 31, 2015 and the year ended September 30, 2014, if any, can be found in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets under Redemption Fees.

Transactions in shares of capital stock were as follows:

 

     Six Months Ended                   
     March 31, 2015          Year Ended  
     (Unaudited)          September 30, 2014  
       Shares           Amount                 Shares              Amount       

Class AAA

            

Shares sold

     430,798       $ 6,177,602           1,165,335      $ 17,210,697   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     305,052         4,411,053           40,471        591,275   

Shares redeemed

     (751,862      (10,745,021        (1,086,847     (16,213,097
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase/(decrease)

     (16,012    $ (156,366        118,959      $ 1,588,875   
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class A

            

Shares sold

     709,083       $ 10,339,175           5,805,861      $ 86,224,998   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     530,683         7,747,971           149,583        2,206,356   

Shares redeemed

     (1,783,523      (25,452,144        (12,973,343     (201,339,370
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net decrease

     (543,757    $ (7,364,998        (7,017,899   $ (112,908,016
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class C

            

Shares sold

     1,080,875       $ 13,945,751           2,603,836      $ 35,131,662   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     512,106         6,606,165           49,108        651,662   

Shares redeemed

     (976,210      (12,565,874        (758,532     (10,425,766
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase

     616,771       $ 7,986,042           1,894,412      $ 25,357,558   
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class I

            

Shares sold

     2,278,467       $ 33,526,442           15,518,313      $ 241,884,663   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     1,336,689         19,716,160           65,268        969,236   

Shares redeemed

     (6,180,709      (90,658,507        (2,920,247     (44,483,742
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase/(decrease)

     (2,565,553    $ (37,415,905        12,663,334      $ 198,370,157   
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

 

9. Transactions in Securities of Affiliated Issuers. The 1940 Act defines affiliated issuers as those in which the Fund’s holdings of an issuer represent 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer. A summary of the Fund’s transactions in the securities of these issuers during the six months ended March 31, 2015 is set forth below:

 

    

 Beginning

Shares

  

Shares

Purchased

  

Shares

Sold

 

Ending

Shares

  

Dividend

Income

  

Realized

Loss

 

Value at

March 31, 2015

  

Percent

Owned of

Shares

Outstanding

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc.*

       1,046,237                   (266,237 )       780,000        $ 102,226        $ (1,436,186 )           

Bioscrip Inc.**

       1,700,000          4,550,015                  6,250,015                         $ 27,687,566      9.11%

Jason Industries Inc.**

       1,018,200          239,340          (7,838 )       1,249,702                   (6,204 )       8,847,890      5.68%
                       

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

      
                        $ 102,226        $ (1,442,390 )     $ 36,535,456     
                       

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

      

 

*

Security is no longer considered affiliated at March 31, 2015.

**

Security was not affiliated at September 30, 2014.

 

14


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

10. Indemnifications. The Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts. Management has reviewed the Fund’s existing contracts and expects the risk of loss to be remote.

11. Subsequent Events. Management has evaluated the impact on the Fund of all subsequent events occurring through the date the financial statements were issued and has determined that there were no subsequent events requiring recognition or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

15


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Board Consideration and Re-Approval of Advisory Agreement (Unaudited)

 

During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Board of Directors of the Corporation approved the continuation of the investment advisory agreement with the Adviser for the Fund on the basis of the recommendation by the directors (the “Independent Board Members”) who are not “interested persons” of the Fund. The following paragraphs summarize the material information and factors considered by the Independent Board Members as well as their conclusions relative to such factors.

Nature, Extent, and Quality of Services. The Independent Board Members considered information regarding the portfolio manager, the depth of the analyst pool available to the Adviser and the portfolio manager, the scope of administrative, shareholder, and other services supervised or provided by the Adviser and the absence of significant service problems reported to the Board. The Independent Board Members noted the experience, length of service, and reputation of the portfolio manager.

Investment Performance. The Independent Board Members reviewed the performance of the Fund over various periods against a peer group of small cap core funds. The Independent Board Members noted that the Fund’s performance was in the fourth quartile for the one year period and in the second quartile for the three year and five year periods. The Independent Board Members also noted that the Fund’s performance was of less relevance than is usually the case due to the relatively recent changes in investment strategy and portfolio management team.

Profitability. The Independent Board Members reviewed summary data regarding the historical lack of profitability of the Fund to the Adviser both with an administrative overhead charge and without such a charge. The Independent Board Members also noted that an affiliated broker of the Adviser received distribution fees and minor amounts of sales commissions and that the Adviser received a moderate level of soft dollar research benefits through the Fund’s portfolio brokerage.

Economies of Scale. The Independent Board Members discussed the major elements of the Adviser’s cost structure and the relationship of those elements to potential economies of scale.

Sharing of Economies of Scale. The Independent Board Members noted that the investment management fee schedule for the Fund does not take into account any potential economies of scale that may develop or any losses or diminished profitability to the Adviser in prior years.

Service and Cost Comparisons. The Independent Board Members compared the expense ratios of the investment management fee, other expenses, and total expenses of the Fund with similar expense ratios of the peer group of small cap core funds and noted that the Adviser’s management fee includes substantially all administrative services for the Fund as well as investment advisory services. The Independent Board Members also noted that the management fee structure was the same as that in effect for most of the Gabelli funds. The Independent Board Members did not compare the management fee with the fees for other types of accounts managed by the Adviser.

Conclusions. The Independent Board Members concluded that the Fund enjoyed highly experienced portfolio management services, good ancillary services, and an acceptable performance record. The Independent Board Members also concluded that the Fund’s expense ratios were reasonable in light of the lack of profitability to the Adviser of managing the Fund, and that economies of scale were not a factor in their thinking at this time. The Independent Board Members did not view the potential profitability of ancillary services as material to their

 

16


The Gabelli Focus Five Fund

Board Consideration and Re-Approval of Advisory Agreement (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

decision. On the basis of the foregoing and without assigning particular weight to any single conclusion, the Independent Board Members determined to recommend continuation of the Advisory Agreements to the full Board.

Based on a consideration of all these factors in their totality, the Board Members, including all of the Independent Board Members, determined that the Fund’s advisory fee was fair and reasonable with respect to the quality of services provided and in light of the other factors described above that the Board deemed relevant. Accordingly, the Board Members determined to approve the continuation of the Fund’s Advisory Agreement. The Board Members based its decision on evaluations of all these factors as a whole and did not consider any one factor as all important or controlling.

 

17


         
   

 

Gabelli/GAMCO Funds and Your Personal Privacy

   
   
   

 

   
   

 

Who are we?

 

   
   

The Gabelli/GAMCO Funds are investment companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Company Act of 1940. We are managed by Gabelli Funds, LLC and GAMCO Asset Management Inc., which are affiliated with GAMCO Investors, Inc. GAMCO Investors, Inc. is a publicly held company that has subsidiaries that provide investment advisory or brokerage services for a variety of clients.

   
   

 

What kind of non-public information do we collect about you if you become a fund shareholder?

 

   
   

If you apply to open an account directly with us, you will be giving us some non-public information about yourself. The non-public information we collect about you is:

 

   
   

 

Information you give us on your application form. This could include your name, address, telephone number, social security number, bank account number, and other information.

 

   
   

 

Information about your transactions with us, any transactions with our affiliates, and transactions with the entities we hire to provide services to you. This would include information about the shares that you buy or redeem. If we hire someone else to provide services — like a transfer agent — we will also have information about the transactions that you conduct through them.

   
   

 

 

What information do we disclose and to whom do we disclose it?

 

   
   

We do not disclose any non-public personal information about our customers or former customers to anyone other than our affiliates, our service providers who need to know such information, and as otherwise permitted by law. If you want to find out what the law permits, you can read the privacy rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. They are in volume 17 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 248. The Commission often posts information about its regulations on its website, www.sec.gov.

 

 

   
   

What do we do to protect your personal information?

 

   
   

We restrict access to non-public personal information about you to the people who need to know that information in order to provide services to you or the fund and to ensure that we are complying with the laws governing the securities business. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to keep your personal information confidential.

 

 

   


THE GABELLI FOCUS FIVE FUND

One Corporate Center

Rye, NY 10580-1422

 

Portfolio Manager Biography

Daniel M. Miller has been the portfolio manager of The Gabelli Focus Five Fund since inception of the investment strategy on January 1, 2012. He is also a Managing Director of GAMCO Asset Management and Chairman of Gabelli & Company, the firm’s institutional research business. Mr. Miller joined the firm in 2002 and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in finance from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have separated the portfolio manager’s commentary from the financial statements and investment portfolio due to corporate governance regulations stipulated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We have done this to ensure that the content of the portfolio manager’s commentary is unrestricted. The financial statements and investment portfolio are mailed separately from the commentary. Both the commentary and the financial statements, including the portfolio of investments, will be available on our website at www.gabelli.com.

 


      LOGO
     
     
Gabelli Equity Series Funds, Inc.    

 

THE GABELLI FOCUS FIVE FUND

 

One Corporate Center

 

Rye, New York 10580-1422

 

   
t   800-GABELLI    (800-422-3554)    
f    914-921-5118    
e   info@gabelli.com    

    GABELLI.COM

 

   

Net Asset Value per share available daily

by calling 800-GABELLI after 7:00 P.M.

 

   

 

   

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

     

 

Mario J. Gabelli, CFA

Chairman and

Chief Executive Officer,

GAMCO Investors, Inc.

 

Anthony J. Colavita

President,

Anthony J. Colavita, P.C.

 

Vincent D. Enright

Former Senior Vice

President and Chief

Financial Officer,

KeySpan Corp.

 

John D. Gabelli

Senior Vice President,

G.research, Inc.

 

Robert J. Morrissey

Partner,

Morrissey, Hawkins & Lynch

 

Kuni Nakamura

President,

Advanced Polymer, Inc.

 

Anthony R. Pustorino

Certified Public Accountant,

Professor Emeritus,

Pace University

 

 

Anthonie C. van Ekris

Chairman,

BALMAC International, Inc.

 

Salvatore J. Zizza

Chairman,

Zizza & Associates Corp.

 

OFFICERS

 

Bruce N. Alpert

President

 

Andrea R. Mango

Secretary

 

Agnes Mullady

Treasurer

 

Richard J. Walz

Chief Compliance Officer

 

DISTRIBUTOR

 

G.distributors, LLC

 

CUSTODIAN, TRANSFER

AGENT, AND DIVIDEND

DISBURSING AGENT

 

State Street Bank and Trust

Company

 

LEGAL COUNSEL

 

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &

Flom LLP

   
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 

   

 

This report is submitted for the general information of the shareholders of The Gabelli Focus Five Fund. It is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors unless preceded or accompanied by an effective prospectus.

 

   

 

   
     
     
     
     

 

   

GAB840Q115SR

     

    

     

    

     

    

     


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

 

Semiannual Report — March 31, 2015

 

LOGO

 

Morningstar® rated The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund Class AAA Shares 4 stars overall, 3 stars for the three year period, 4 stars for the five year period, and 5 stars for the ten year period ended March 31, 2015 among 620, 620, 559, and 360 Small Blend funds, respectively. Morningstar RatingTM is based on risk-adjusted returns.

  

LOGO

Mario J. Gabelli, CFA

Portfolio Manager

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

To Our Shareholders,

For the six months ended March 31, 2015, the net asset value (“NAV”) per Class AAA Share of The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund increased 10.6% compared with an increase of 14.5% for the Russell 2000 Index. See below for additional performance information.

Enclosed are the financial statements, including the schedule of investments, as of March 31, 2015.

Comparative Results

 

Average Annual Returns through March 31, 2015 (a)(b) (Unaudited)     

Since

Inception

(10/22/91)

 
                                
     Six Months      1 Year        5 Year         10 Year      

Class AAA (GABSX)

     10.63%          6.33%          14.56%           10.12%         13.20%    

Russell 2000 Index

     14.46             8.21             14.57              8.82            10.05       

Class A (GCASX)

     10.64             6.33             14.56              10.12            13.20       

With sales charge (c)

     4.28             0.22             13.21              9.47            12.91       

Class C (GCCSX)

     10.24             5.53             13.70              9.31            12.79       

With contingent deferred sales charge (d)

     9.24             4.53             13.70              9.31            12.79       

Class I (GACIX)

     10.77             6.58             14.85              10.32            13.28       

In the current prospectuses dated January 28, 2015, the expense ratios for Class AAA, A, C, and I Shares are 1.38%, 1.38%, 2.13%, and 1.13%, respectively. See page 15 for the expense ratios for the six months ended March 31, 2015. Class AAA and Class I Shares have no sales charge. The maximum sales charge for Class A and C Shares is 5.75% and 1.00%, respectively.

 

(a)

 

 

Returns represent past performance and do not guarantee future results. Total returns and average annual returns reflect changes in share price, reinvestment of distributions, and are net of expenses. Investment returns and the principal value of an investment will fluctuate. When shares are redeemed, they may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data presented. Visit www.gabelli.com for performance information as of the most recent month end. The Fund imposes a 2% redemption fee on shares sold or  exchanged within seven days after the date of purchase. Performance returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized. Investors should  carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectuses contain information about  these and other matters and should be read carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus please visit our website at www.gabelli.com. The Class AAA Share NAVs are used to calculate performance for the periods prior to the issuance of Class A Shares and Class C Shares on December 31, 2003, and the Class I Shares on January 11, 2008. The actual performance of the Class A Shares and Class C Shares would have been lower due to the additional fees and expenses associated with these classes of shares. The actual performance of the Class I Shares would have been higher due to lower expenses related to this class of shares. Investing in small capitalization securities involves special risks because these securities may trade less frequently and experience more abrupt price movements than large capitalization securities. The Russell 2000 Index is an unmanaged indicator which measures the performance of the small cap segment of the U.S. equity market. Dividends are considered reinvested. You cannot invest directly in an index.

(b)

 

The Fund’s fiscal year ends September 30.

(c)

 

Performance results include the effect of the maximum 5.75% sales charge at the beginning of the period.

(d)

 

 

Assuming payment of the 1% maximum contingent deferred sales charge imposed on redemptions made within one year of purchase.


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund   
Disclosure of Fund Expenses (Unaudited)   
For the Six Month Period from October 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015      Expense Table   

 

 

We believe it is important for you to understand the impact of fees and expenses regarding your investment. All mutual funds have operating expenses. As a shareholder of a fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of a fund. When a fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets, this figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

The Expense Table below illustrates your Fund’s costs in two ways:

Actual Fund Return: This section provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use this section to help you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period after any fee waivers and expense reimbursements. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the Fund’s actual return during the past six months, and the “Expenses Paid During Period” shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the Fund. You may use this information, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your Fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid during this period.

Hypothetical 5% Return: This section provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio. It assumes a hypothetical annualized return of 5% before expenses during the period shown. In this case – because the hypothetical return used is not the Fund’s actual return – the results do not apply to your investment and you cannot use the hypothetical account value and expense to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. This example is useful in making comparisons of the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees, or exchange fees, if any, which are described in the Prospectus. If these costs were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Therefore, the 5% hypothetical return is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds.

 

     Beginning
 Account Value 
10/01/14
  Ending
 Account Value 
03/31/15
   Annualized 
Expense
Ratio
  Expenses
 Paid During 
Period*
The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Actual Fund Return

Class AAA

  $1,000.00   $1,106.30   1.38%   $  7.25

Class A

  $1,000.00   $1,106.40   1.38%   $  7.25

Class C

  $1,000.00   $1,102.40   2.13%   $11.16

Class I

  $1,000.00   $1,107.70   1.13%   $  5.94

Hypothetical 5% Return

Class AAA

  $1,000.00   $1,018.05   1.38%   $  6.94

Class A

  $1,000.00   $1,018.05   1.38%   $  6.94

Class C

  $1,000.00   $1,014.31   2.13%   $10.70

Class I

  $1,000.00   $1,019.30   1.13%   $  5.69

 

*

Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio for the last six months multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half year (182 days), then divided by 365.

 

 

2


Summary of Portfolio Holdings (Unaudited)

The following table presents portfolio holdings as a percent of net assets as of March 31, 2015:

The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

 

U.S. Government Obligations

     9.4

Food and Beverage

     8.6

Equipment and Supplies

     7.9

Automotive: Parts and Accessories

     7.2

Retail

     6.6

Diversified Industrial

     6.0

Energy and Utilities

     5.4

Business Services

     5.1

Financial Services

     4.5

Health Care

     4.4

Specialty Chemicals

     4.3

Aviation: Parts and Services

     3.8

Hotels and Gaming

     3.2

Building and Construction

     2.6

Entertainment

     2.5

Computer Software and Services

     2.2

Telecommunications

     1.5

Electronics

     1.5

Consumer Products

     1.4

Cable

     1.3

Consumer Services

     1.2

Real Estate

     1.2

Wireless Communications

     1.1

Publishing

     1.0

Machinery

     1.0

Automotive

     1.0

Transportation

     0.9

Broadcasting

     0.8

Home Furnishings

     0.5

Metals and Mining

     0.5

Environmental Services

     0.4

Communications Equipment

     0.3

Manufactured Housing and Recreational Vehicles

     0.3

Aerospace

     0.2

Educational Services

     0.1

Closed-End Funds

     0.1

Paper and Forest Products

     0.1

Closed-End Business Development Company

     0.0 %* 

Agriculture

     0.0 %* 

Other Assets and Liabilities (Net)

     (0.1 )% 
  

 

 

 
       100.0
  

 

 

 
    

 

*      Amount represents less than 0.05%.

 

 

The Fund files a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for  the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. Shareholders may obtain this information at www.gabelli.com or by calling the Fund at 800-GABELLI (800-422-3554). The Fund’s Form N-Q is available on the SEC’s website at  www.sec.gov and may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC.  Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 800-SEC-0330.

Proxy Voting

The Fund files Form N-PX with its complete proxy voting record for the twelve months ended June 30, no later than August 31 of each year. A description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies, procedures, and how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities is available without charge, upon request, by (i) calling 800-GABELLI (800-422-3554); (ii) writing to The Gabelli Funds at One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422; or (iii) visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

3


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Schedule of Investments — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  COMMON STOCKS — 90.5%   
  Aerospace — 0.2%    
  25,000     

Embraer SA, ADR

  $ 430,623      $ 768,750   
  290,000     

Exelis Inc.

    4,786,003        7,067,300   
  20,000     

Innovative Solutions & Support Inc.†

    69,694        76,000   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      5,286,320        7,912,050   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Agriculture — 0.0%    
  400,075     

Black Earth Farming Ltd., SDR†

    701,788        192,787   
  12,000     

Cadiz Inc.†

    93,950        123,060   
  125,000     

Ceres Inc.†

    234,867        41,250   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      1,030,605        357,097   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

Automotive — 1.0%

   
  1,250,090     

Navistar International Corp.†

    36,564,732        36,877,655   
  12,000     

PACCAR Inc.

    471,506        757,680   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      37,036,238        37,635,335   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Automotive: Parts and Accessories — 7.1%   
  236,000     

BorgWarner Inc.

    1,330,291        14,273,280   
  760,000     

Brembo SpA

    8,758,907        31,069,439   
  90,022     

China Automotive Systems Inc.

    447,666        655,360   
  403,000     

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.

    10,463,811        17,264,520   
  1,155,000     

Dana Holding Corp.

    10,200,360        24,439,800   
  1,210,027     

Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp.†

    15,617,056        16,105,463   
  760,000     

Modine Manufacturing Co.†

    9,616,561        10,237,200   
  22,000     

Monro Muffler Brake Inc.

    150,657        1,431,100   
  408,000     

O’Reilly Automotive Inc.†

    11,016,729        88,225,920   
  45,000     

Puradyn Filter Technologies Inc.†

    11,732        8,775   
  200,000     

SORL Auto Parts Inc.†

    1,164,477        680,000   
  80,375     

Spartan Motors Inc.

    388,580        389,819   
  225,000     

Standard Motor Products Inc.

    1,824,108        9,508,500   
  207,000     

Strattec Security Corp.(a)

    4,420,973        15,284,880   
  400,000     

Superior Industries International Inc.

    6,650,124        7,572,000   
  475,000     

Tenneco Inc.†

    4,109,505        27,274,500   
  870,000     

The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack†

    9,417,036        8,369,400   
  26,000     

Thor Industries Inc.

    240,934        1,643,460   
  15,500     

Visteon Corp.†

    1,591,078        1,494,200   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          97,420,585            275,927,616   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Aviation: Parts and Services — 3.8%     
  25,000     

AAR Corp.

    302,990        767,500   
  9,500     

Astronics Corp.†

    20,799        700,150   
  12,340     

Astronics Corp., Cl. B†

    26,185        901,931   
  48,000     

B/E Aerospace Inc.

    2,788,695        3,053,760   
  5,050,000     

BBA Aviation plc

    13,601,630        25,215,159   
Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  500,000     

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

  $ 14,149,715      $ 36,970,000   
  44,000     

Ducommun Inc.†

    868,225        1,139,600   
  1,245,095     

GenCorp Inc.†

    8,096,303        28,873,753   
  868,018     

Kaman Corp.

    16,437,688        36,830,004   
  27,000     

KLX Inc.†

    1,198,159        1,040,580   
  85,000     

Moog Inc., Cl. A†

    703,065        6,379,250   
  16,200     

Moog Inc., Cl. B†

    471,841        1,217,592   
  68,000     

Woodward Inc.

    1,052,020        3,468,680   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          59,717,315            146,557,959   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Broadcasting — 0.8%     
  520,836     

ACME Communications Inc.†

    526,973        19,011   
  242,017     

Beasley Broadcast Group Inc., Cl. A

    1,409,741        1,236,707   
  23,300     

Cogeco Inc.

    592,837        1,015,851   
  445,000     

Crown Media Holdings Inc., Cl. A†

    1,623,074        1,780,000   
  30,900     

Gray Television Inc.†

    89,812        427,038   
  71,200     

Gray Television Inc., Cl. A†

    373,008        838,736   
  400,000     

ITV plc

    1,310,259        1,500,600   
  20,000     

Liberty Broadband Corp., Cl. A†

    124,003        1,129,600   
  52,362     

Liberty Broadband Corp., Cl. C†

    730,014        2,963,689   
  80,000     

Liberty Media Corp., Cl. A†

    372,009        3,084,000   
  160,000     

Liberty Media Corp., Cl. C†

    731,764        6,112,000   
  125,000     

Pandora Media Inc.†

    1,715,827        2,026,250   
  600,000     

Salem Media Group Inc.

    2,326,952        3,696,000   
  170,000     

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., Cl. A

    1,335,314        5,339,700   
  450,000     

Sirius XM Holdings Inc.†

    219,282        1,719,000   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      13,480,869        32,888,182   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Building and Construction — 2.6%     
  66,000     

Beazer Homes USA Inc.†

    1,228,434        1,169,520   
  295,000     

D.R. Horton Inc.

    3,487,620        8,401,600   
  750,000     

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc., Cl. A†

    1,928,866        2,670,000   
  200,000     

KB Home

    2,123,861        3,124,000   
  475,000     

Layne Christensen Co.†

    10,223,756        2,379,750   
  87,000     

Lennar Corp., Cl. A

    1,246,629        4,507,470   
  430,009     

Lennar Corp., Cl. B

    11,261,610        17,673,370   
  600,000     

Louisiana-Pacific Corp.†

    5,071,723        9,906,000   
  142,000     

MDC Holdings Inc.

    3,592,233        4,047,000   
  155,000     

Meritage Homes Corp.†

    3,454,885        7,539,200   
  12,500     

Nortek Inc.†

    459,613        1,103,125   
  2,800     

NVR Inc.†

    1,980,556        3,720,248   
  345,000     

PulteGroup Inc.

    2,447,273        7,669,350   
  200,000     

Standard Pacific Corp.†

    771,232        1,800,000   
  245,000     

The Ryland Group Inc.

    3,991,160        11,941,300   
  380,000     

Toll Brothers Inc.†

    7,446,446        14,949,200   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      60,715,897        102,601,133   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

4


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  COMMON STOCKS (Continued)   
  Business Services — 5.1%   
  40,000     

ACCO Brands Corp.†

  $ 363,855      $ 332,400   
  124,000     

Ascent Capital Group Inc., Cl. A†

    3,561,132        4,936,440   
  510,006     

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc., Cl. A

    1,794,403        5,161,261   
  1,220,500     

Diebold Inc.

          40,135,329              43,278,930   
  560,488     

Edgewater Technology Inc.†

    2,775,139        3,833,738   
  420,000     

Furmanite Corp.†

    1,870,692        3,313,800   
  95,000     

GP Strategies Corp.†

    791,180        3,515,000   
  30,000     

GSE Systems Inc.†

    130,842        45,000   
  365,000     

Internap Corp.†

    2,507,950        3,733,950   
  17,000     

Landauer Inc.

    443,034        597,380   
  1,100,000     

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.†

    11,276,960        27,753,000   
  255,000     

Loomis AB, Cl. B

    2,728,946        7,813,902   
  191,000     

Macquarie Infrastructure Co. LLC

    1,725,070        15,717,390   
  95,000     

McGrath RentCorp

    2,581,641        3,126,450   
  17,000     

Rentrak Corp.†

    931,616        944,520   
  245,000     

Scientific Games Corp., Cl. A†

    3,219,744        2,565,150   
  15,000     

Sealed Air Corp.

    362,982        683,400   
  120,000     

Sohgo Security Services Co. Ltd.

    1,459,559        4,097,219   
  85,000     

Stamps.com Inc.†

    703,512        5,719,650   
  400,000     

The Brink’s Co.

    9,807,432        11,052,000   
  2,010,900     

The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc.

    15,552,320        44,481,108   
  100,000     

TNT Express NV

    884,371        636,653   
  33,050     

TransAct Technologies Inc.

    168,459        195,325   
  404,180     

Trans-Lux Corp.†(a)

    3,957,787        1,748,078   
  40,000     

United Rentals Inc.†

    256,125        3,646,400   
  14,444     

Vectrus Inc.†

    306,666        368,178   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      110,296,746        199,296,322   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Cable — 1.3%    
  170,000     

AMC Networks Inc., Cl. A†

    2,124,059        13,028,800   
  555,068     

Cablevision Systems Corp., Cl. A

    956,653        10,157,744   
  10,000     

Cogeco Cable Inc.

    340,851        536,181   
  235,000     

DIRECTV†

    6,141,167        19,998,500   
  50,000     

DISH Network Corp., Cl. A†

    968,420        3,503,000   
  36,000     

EchoStar Corp., Cl. A†

    708,109        1,861,920   
  8,800     

Liberty Global plc, Cl. A†

    107,821        452,936   
  26,400     

Liberty Global plc, Cl. C†

    306,715        1,314,984   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      11,653,795        50,854,065   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Closed-End Business Development Company — 0.0%   
  113,000     

MVC Capital Inc.

    1,287,652        1,071,240   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  Closed-End Funds — 0.1%   
  101,720     

The Central Europe, Russia, and Turkey Fund Inc.

  $ 3,278,146      $ 2,091,363   
  31,614     

The European Equity Fund Inc.

    315,049        276,306   
  93,316     

The New Germany Fund Inc.

    1,280,487        1,446,398   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      4,873,682        3,814,067   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Communications Equipment — 0.3%   
  230,000     

Communications Systems Inc.

    2,054,171        2,624,300   
  53,000     

Fortinet Inc.†

    1,087,610        1,852,350   
  400,000     

Riverbed Technology Inc.†

    8,003,890        8,364,000   
  290,000     

Sycamore Networks Inc.

    412,061        110,200   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      11,557,732        12,950,850   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Computer Software and Services — 2.2%   
  280,000     

Activision Blizzard Inc.

    4,291,397        6,363,000   
  40,000     

Avid Technology Inc.†

    402,666        596,000   
  2,000     

Blackbaud Inc.

    78,260        94,760   
  750,000     

EarthLink Holdings Corp.

    3,999,020        3,330,000   
  102,000     

Electronic Arts Inc.†

    1,841,947        5,999,130   
  185,000     

Emulex Corp.†

    1,578,438        1,474,450   
  445,000     

FalconStor Software Inc.†

    1,421,329        689,750   
  505,044     

Global Sources Ltd.†

    3,838,918        2,959,558   
  73,077     

Guidance Software Inc.†

    659,687        395,347   
  40,000     

InterXion Holding NV†

    630,985        1,128,000   
  60,000     

Mentor Graphics Corp.

    720,436        1,441,800   
  20,000     

Mercury Systems Inc.†

    303,410        311,000   
  20,187     

MKS Instruments Inc.

    367,981        682,522   
  440,000     

NCR Corp.†

    4,746,089        12,984,400   
  65,000     

Quantum Corp.†

    204,798        104,000   
  5,000     

Rocket Internet SE†

    291,504        247,763   
  100,000     

Rockwell Automation Inc.

    2,731,906        11,599,000   
  54,000     

Stratasys Ltd.†

    4,104,000        2,850,120   
  270,000     

Tyler Technologies Inc.†

    1,178,357        32,543,100   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          33,391,128            85,793,700   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Consumer Products — 1.4%   
  295,000     

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Inc., Cl. A†

    1,342,595        3,489,850   
  55,000     

Brunswick Corp.

    967,690        2,829,750   
  33,500     

Chofu Seisakusho Co. Ltd.

    484,644        829,574   
  57,000     

Church & Dwight Co. Inc.

    290,143        4,868,940   
  25,000     

Elizabeth Arden Inc.†

    370,518        390,000   
  40,000     

Ginko International Co. Ltd.

    629,998        460,211   
  2,000     

Harley-Davidson Inc.

    4,713        121,480   
  25,000     

Harman International Industries Inc.

    1,186,027        3,340,750   
  104,229     

Hunter Douglas NV

    4,540,933        4,281,142   
  488,304     

Marine Products Corp.

    1,489,266        4,184,765   
  10,000     

National Presto Industries Inc.

    300,897        633,900   
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

5


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  COMMON STOCKS (Continued)   
  Consumer Products (Continued)   
  445,000     

Sally Beauty Holdings Inc.†

  $ 2,951,051      $ 15,294,650   
  220,000     

Samick Musical Instruments Co. Ltd.

    299,584        844,743   
  13,000     

Shimano Inc.

    1,500,919        1,938,050   
  9,750     

Steven Madden Ltd.†

    36,466        370,500   
  150,000     

Swedish Match AB

    2,992,162        4,417,015   
  87,425     

Syratech Corp.†

    17,426        262   
  25,000     

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., Cl. A

    771,996        1,679,250   
  22,000     

WD-40 Co.

    606,916        1,947,880   
  105,000     

Wolverine World Wide Inc.

    542,857        3,512,250   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          21,326,801            55,434,962   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Consumer Services — 1.2%   
  53,000     

Bowlin Travel Centers Inc.†

    53,947        74,200   
  2,750     

Collectors Universe Inc.

    2,778        62,040   
  18,000     

IAC/InterActiveCorp.

    199,991        1,214,460   
  265,017     

KAR Auction Services Inc.

    3,573,437        10,052,095   
  100,000     

Liberty Interactive Corp., Cl. A†

    1,487,382        2,919,000   
  37,000     

Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings Inc., Cl. A†

    393,577        1,176,230   
  51,217     

Liberty Ventures, Cl. A†

    656,056        2,151,626   
  215,000     

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., Cl. A†

    1,083,310        1,397,500   
  900,000     

Rollins Inc.

    2,281,581        22,257,000   
  50,000     

The ADT Corp.

    1,239,655        2,076,000   
  455,000     

TiVo Inc.†

    4,819,951        4,827,550   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      15,791,665        48,207,701   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Diversified Industrial — 5.9%   
  21,000     

Acuity Brands Inc.

    288,043        3,531,360   
  30,000     

Aegion Corp.†

    561,304        541,500   
  111,000     

Albany International Corp., Cl. A

    2,490,531        4,412,250   
  223,805     

Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp.

    3,900,879        3,907,635   
  6,000     

Anixter International Inc.†

    57,120        456,780   
  7,992     

Burnham Holdings Inc., Cl. A

    176,094        171,828   
  42,076     

Covisint Corp.†

    108,485        85,414   
  400,000     

Crane Co.

    9,479,962        24,964,000   
  14,000     

EnPro Industries Inc.

    930,863        923,300   
  114,000     

Greif Inc., Cl. A

    2,227,166        4,476,780   
  117,970     

Greif Inc., Cl. B

    5,709,954        5,426,620   
  1,245,000     

Griffon Corp.

    13,703,772        21,700,350   
  34,000     

Haynes International Inc.

    1,694,519        1,516,740   
  190,000     

Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd.

    3,487,637        6,650,000   
  500,000     

Katy Industries Inc.†(a)

    724,863        1,295,000   
  45,000     

Key Technology Inc.†

    657,015        573,300   
  175,000     

Kimball International Inc., Cl. B

    1,766,047        1,834,000   
Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  2,400     

L.B. Foster Co., Cl. A

  $ 83,834      $ 113,952   
  75,000     

Lawson Products Inc.†

    1,075,729        1,740,750   
  96,000     

Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc.

    2,586,322        6,277,440   
  65,000     

Lindsay Corp.

    1,550,702        4,956,250   
  40,083     

Lydall Inc.†

    447,165        1,271,433   
  91,500     

Magnetek Inc.†

    1,970,627        3,524,580   
  31,500     

Matthews International Corp., Cl. A

    750,010        1,622,565   
  550,000     

Myers Industries Inc.

    6,105,815        9,641,500   
  134,000     

Oil-Dri Corp. of America

    1,466,599        4,509,100   
  125,000     

Olin Corp.

    2,446,749        4,005,000   
  300,000     

Park-Ohio Holdings Corp.

    2,690,756        15,801,000   
  19,000     

Pentair plc

    727,134        1,194,910   
  200,500     

Polypore International Inc.†

    11,913,171        11,809,450   
  87,000     

Precision Castparts Corp.

    2,064,742        18,270,000   
  99,229     

Raven Industries Inc.

    2,465,300        2,030,225   
  32,000     

Roper Industries Inc.

    620,029        5,504,000   
  300,000     

Sevcon Inc.†(a)

    1,854,639        2,391,000   
  96,000     

Sonoco Products Co.

    2,940,089        4,364,160   
  58,000     

Standex International Corp.

    1,563,076        4,763,540   
  167,078     

Steel Partners Holdings LP†

    2,840,871        3,172,811   
  390,000     

Textron Inc.

    2,523,213        17,288,700   
  460,141     

Tredegar Corp.

    8,079,937        9,253,436   
  168,000     

Trinity Industries Inc.

    2,539,068        5,965,680   
  147,000     

Tyco International plc

    2,752,473        6,329,820   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          112,022,304            228,268,159   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Educational Services — 0.1%   
  59,000     

Career Education Corp.†

    416,169        296,770   
  215,000     

Corinthian Colleges Inc.†

    666,547        3,031   
  376,000     

Universal Technical Institute Inc.

    6,302,513        3,609,600   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      7,385,229        3,909,401   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Electronics — 1.5%   
  98,000     

Badger Meter Inc.

    2,797,399        5,874,120   
  267,383     

Bel Fuse Inc., Cl. A(a)

    6,219,020        4,903,804   
  14,000     

CSR plc, ADR

    205,520        723,100   
  550,000     

CTS Corp.

    5,306,161        9,894,500   
  575,000     

Cypress Semiconductor Corp.

    4,844,733        8,113,250   
  40,000     

Daktronics Inc.

    362,126        432,400   
  112,000     

Dolby Laboratories Inc., Cl. A

    4,619,464        4,273,920   
  224,000     

Gentex Corp.

    2,739,665        4,099,200   
  87,000     

Greatbatch Inc.†

    2,213,466        5,032,950   
  20,000     

IMAX Corp.†

    158,565        674,200   
  68,000     

KEMET Corp.†

    264,474        281,520   
  45,000     

Kimball Electronics Inc.†

    270,453        636,300   
  66,000     

MOCON Inc.

    974,677        1,103,520   
  315,000     

Park Electrochemical Corp.

    5,670,799        6,791,400   
  135,000     

Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc.†

    3,214,465        3,271,050   
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

6


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  COMMON STOCKS (Continued)   
  Electronics (Continued)   
  170,000     

Stoneridge Inc.†

  $ 1,355,936      $ 1,919,300   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      41,216,923        58,024,534   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Energy and Utilities — 5.4%   
  14,123     

Amec Foster Wheeler plc, ADR

    32,975        188,683   
  79,000     

Avista Corp.

    2,688,918        2,700,220   
  360,000     

Black Hills Corp.

    9,221,866        18,158,400   
  70,000     

Black Ridge Oil and Gas Inc.†

    0        16,107   
  100,000     

Callon Petroleum Co.†

    621,608        747,000   
  49,000     

Chesapeake Utilities Corp.

    888,481        2,479,890   
  7,000     

Clean Energy Fuels Corp.†

    82,845        37,345   
  160,000     

Cleco Corp.

    8,764,387        8,723,200   
  40,000     

CMS Energy Corp.

    209,606        1,396,400   
  23,000     

Connecticut Water Service Inc.

    464,832        835,590   
  35,000     

CONSOL Energy Inc.

    1,265,887        976,150   
  11,000     

Consolidated Water Co. Ltd.

    141,093        112,970   
  155,000     

Covanta Holding Corp.

    502,271        3,476,650   
  15,000     

Dawson Geophysical Co.†

    181,755        64,050   
  107,000     

Diamondback Energy Inc.†

    5,614,876        8,221,880   
  406,000     

El Paso Electric Co.

    5,906,970        15,687,840   
  80,000     

Energy Recovery Inc.†

    352,081        207,200   
  62,214     

EXCO Resources Inc.

    304,988        113,852   
  20,000     

Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica SA†

    117,491        253,005   
  185,000     

Great Plains Energy Inc.

    3,792,694        4,935,800   
  110,000     

Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.

    2,784,810        3,533,200   
  25,000     

Key Energy Services Inc.†

    212,550        45,500   
  45,000     

Middlesex Water Co.

    773,022        1,024,200   
  95,000     

National Fuel Gas Co.

    5,556,830        5,731,350   
  12,000     

Northwest Natural Gas Co.

    587,477        575,400   
  100,000     

NorthWestern Corp.

    2,966,899        5,379,000   
  80,000     

Oceaneering International Inc.

    1,366,984        4,314,400   
  300,000     

Otter Tail Corp.

    7,117,507        9,651,000   
  12,000     

Patterson-UTI Energy Inc.

    241,902        225,300   
  1,255,000     

PNM Resources Inc.

        14,761,652            36,646,000   
  130,000     

Rowan Companies plc, Cl. A

    4,574,072        2,302,300   
  2,370,129     

RPC Inc.

    3,583,935        30,361,352   
  146,000     

SJW Corp.

    2,888,246        4,512,860   
  190,000     

Southwest Gas Corp.

    4,610,233        11,052,300   
  220,500     

Steel Excel Inc.†

    5,929,277        4,740,750   
  208,100     

SunEdison Inc.†

    824,460        4,994,400   
  32,000     

Tesoro Corp.

    368,083        2,921,280   
  23,000     

The Laclede Group Inc.

    915,544        1,178,060   
  46,000     

The York Water Co.

    647,831        1,116,880   
  14,000     

Vestas Wind Systems A/S

    132,040        580,055   
Shares         Cost    

Market

Value

 
  220,000     

Westar Energy Inc.

  $ 4,036,837      $ 8,527,200   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          106,035,815            208,745,019   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Entertainment — 2.5%   
  75,000     

Carmike Cinemas Inc.†

    510,631        2,520,000   
  50,000     

Discovery Communications Inc., Cl. A†

    863,334        1,538,000   
  100,000     

Discovery Communications Inc., Cl. C†

    926,160        2,947,500   
  431,384     

Dover Motorsports Inc.

    1,595,309        1,022,380   
  69,000     

International Speedway Corp., Cl. A

    2,180,287        2,250,090   
  6,814     

International Speedway Corp., Cl. B

    167,786        223,329   
  1,876,811     

Media General Inc.†

    12,601,094        30,948,613   
  72,000     

Starz, Cl. A†

    180,768        2,477,520   
  350,000     

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.†

    4,934,669        8,909,250   
  360,000     

The Madison Square Garden Co., Cl. A†

    8,494,132        30,474,000   
  260,000     

Twenty-First Century Fox Inc., Cl. A

    673,473        8,798,400   
  157,000     

Universal Entertainment Corp.

    2,117,510        2,567,032   
  172,000     

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., Cl. A

    1,873,378        2,409,720   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
      37,118,531        97,085,834   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Environmental Services — 0.4%   
  400,000     

Republic Services Inc.

    5,798,456        16,224,000   
   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  Equipment and Supplies — 7.9%   
  44,000     

A.O. Smith Corp.

    328,585        2,889,040   
  538,000     

AMETEK Inc.

    1,016,606        28,266,520   
  40,500     

AZZ Inc.

    1,280,665        1,886,895   
  15,000     

Belden Inc.

    175,366        1,403,400   
  60,000     

Capstone Turbine Corp.†

    118,600        39,000   
  545,000     

CIRCOR International Inc.

    15,694,341        29,811,500   
  223,000     

CLARCOR Inc.

    1,454,445        14,731,380   
  330,000     

Core Molding Technologies Inc.†

    654,777        5,659,500   
  165,000     

Crown Holdings Inc.†

    666,877        8,913,300   
  4,000     

Danaher Corp.

    34,106        339,600   
  180,000     

Donaldson Co. Inc.

    1,558,860        6,787,800   
  215,000     

Entegris Inc.†

    1,209,536        2,943,350   
  830,063     

Federal Signal Corp.

    5,906,469        13,106,695   
  288,000     

Flowserve Corp.

    2,418,180        16,269,120   
  312,000     

Franklin Electric Co. Inc.

    1,506,366        11,899,680   
  240,000     

Graco Inc.

    8,428,431        17,318,400   
  1,500,000     

GrafTech International Ltd.†

    16,970,180        5,835,000   
  96,000     

IDEX Corp.

    751,281        7,279,680   
  485,000     

Interpump Group SpA

    2,937,559        7,890,207   
  66,000     

Itron Inc.†

    2,755,984        2,409,660   
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

7


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares           Cost    

Market

Value

 
  

 

COMMON STOCKS (Continued)

  

   Equipment and Supplies (Continued)   
  15,750      

Jarden Corp.†

   $ 115,037      $ 833,175   
  38,000      

Littelfuse Inc.

     745,492        3,776,820   
  55,000      

Maezawa Kyuso Industries Co. Ltd.

     359,609        664,944   
  43,000      

Minerals Technologies Inc.

     2,039,109        3,143,300   
  6,000      

MSA Safety Inc.

     179,592        299,280   
  522,007      

Mueller Industries Inc.

     13,272,846        18,860,113   
  480,000      

Mueller Water Products Inc., Cl. A

     3,549,762        4,728,000   
  10,000      

Plantronics Inc.

     262,977        529,500   
  2,000      

Regal-Beloit Corp.

     59,351        159,840   
  92,032      

SL Industries Inc.†

     1,260,784        3,934,368   
  5,000      

Teleflex Inc.

     76,167        604,150   
  282,000      

Tennant Co.

     5,860,985        18,434,340   
  830,000      

The Gorman-Rupp Co.

     13,664,991        24,858,500   
  155,000      

The Greenbrier Companies Inc.

     2,327,736        8,990,000   
  260,000      

The L.S. Starrett Co., Cl. A

     3,219,854        4,940,000   
  100,000      

The Manitowoc Co. Inc.

     666,995        2,156,000   
  75,000      

The Middleby Corp.†

     1,121,311        7,698,750   
  15,000      

The Timken Co.

     579,711        632,100   
  24,400      

The Toro Co.

     859,601        1,710,928   
  7,500      

Valmont Industries Inc.

     172,236        921,600   
  149,649      

Vicor Corp.†

     1,308,465        2,274,665   
  7,875      

Watsco Inc., Cl. B

     23,627        982,800   
  176,500      

Watts Water Technologies Inc., Cl. A

     4,730,803        9,712,795   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
           122,324,255           306,525,695   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
  

 

Financial Services — 4.5%

  

  10,800      

Alleghany Corp.†

     1,858,237        5,259,600   
  26,620      

Argo Group International Holdings Ltd.

     724,275        1,334,993   
  310,000      

BBCN Bancorp Inc.

     3,512,655        4,485,700   
  117,000      

BKF Capital Group Inc.†

     477,768        160,875   
  125,000      

Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc., Cl. B†

     2,894,657        4,443,750   
  130,000      

Calamos Asset Management Inc., Cl. A

     1,559,099        1,748,500   
  12,500      

Capitol Federal Financial Inc.

     125,000        156,250   
  22,000      

Crazy Woman Creek Bancorp Inc.†

     343,564        246,620   
  318,000      

Energy Transfer Equity LP

     2,285,330        20,148,480   
  1,000      

FCB Financial Holdings Inc., Cl. A†

     27,130        27,370   
  9,967      

Fidelity Southern Corp.

     63,366        168,243   
  265,000      

First Niagara Financial Group Inc.

     3,449,241        2,342,600   
  245,000      

FirstMerit Corp.

     4,452,737        4,669,700   
  500,093      

Flushing Financial Corp.

     8,835,466        10,036,867   
Shares           Cost    

Market

Value

 

 

 

 

290,064

 

  

  

 

Fortress Investment Group LLC, Cl. A

  

 

$

 

1,753,553

 

  

 

 

$

 

2,340,816

 

  

  1,098,300      

GAM Holding AG

     13,974,836        22,829,450   
  170,000      

Hilltop Holdings Inc.†

     4,657,642        3,304,800   
  48,000      

Hudson Valley Holding Corp.

     928,385        1,226,880   
  1,350,000      

Janus Capital Group Inc.

     13,871,453        23,206,500   
  750,072      

KKR & Co. LP

     5,438,228        17,109,142   
  180,000      

Legg Mason Inc.

     4,136,892        9,936,000   
  15,000      

M&T Bank Corp.

     1,294,650        1,905,000   
  4,000      

Manning & Napier Inc.

     53,431        52,040   
  60,024      

Medallion Financial Corp.

     463,920        555,822   
  250,000      

Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC, Cl. A

     1,997,164        3,160,000   
  165,000      

Oritani Financial Corp.

     1,685,540        2,400,750   
  32,000      

PrivateBancorp Inc.

     541,949        1,125,440   
  54,000      

Pzena Investment Management Inc., Cl. A

     540,947        495,180   
  355,087      

Sterling Bancorp

     3,990,950        4,761,717   
  14,000      

T. Rowe Price Group Inc.

     603,780        1,133,720   
  150,000      

The Charles Schwab Corp.

     2,404,087        4,566,000   
  10,000      

Universal American Corp.†

     73,364        106,800   
  40,782      

Value Line Inc.

     570,979        595,825   
  395,000      

Waddell & Reed Financial Inc., Cl. A

     7,302,161        19,568,300   
  10,121      

Waterloo Investment Holdings Ltd.†

     1,390        601   
  572,300      

Wright Investors’ Service Holdings Inc.†

     1,177,469        1,058,755   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
           98,071,295           176,669,086   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
  

 

Food and Beverage — 8.6%

  

  575,000      

Arca Continental SAB de CV†

     1,132,490        3,535,910   
  585,000      

Boulder Brands Inc.†

     3,809,777        5,575,050   
  57,150      

Brown-Forman Corp., Cl. A

     1,115,861        5,188,077   
  7,500      

Brown-Forman Corp., Cl. B

     144,052        677,625   
  240,000      

Bull-Dog Sauce Co. Ltd.

     515,305        446,242   
  5,000,000      

China Tontine Wines Group Ltd.†

     960,438        174,134   
  222,000      

Chr. Hansen Holding A/S

     9,290,797        10,198,010   
  550,000      

Cott Corp.

     4,106,945        5,153,500   
  270,116      

Crimson Wine Group Ltd.†

     2,407,205        2,458,056   
  1,800,000      

Davide Campari-Milano SpA

     11,746,861        12,570,697   
  80,000      

Dean Foods Co.

     899,523        1,322,400   
  310,000      

Denny’s Corp.†

     962,864        3,534,000   
  305,021      

Diamond Foods Inc.†

     6,397,096        9,934,534   
  320,000      

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.

     6,532,502        25,113,600   
  3,500,000      

Dynasty Fine Wines Group Ltd.†

     1,246,520        650,100   
  96,800      

Farmer Brothers Co.†

     1,676,892        2,395,800   
  510,000      

Flowers Foods Inc.

     1,347,594        11,597,400   
  164,000      

Ingredion Inc.

     3,465,432        12,762,480   
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

8


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares          Cost     

Market

Value

 
 

 

COMMON STOCKS (Continued)

  

  Food and Beverage (Continued)   
  180,000     

ITO EN Ltd.

   $ 3,741,497       $ 3,888,606   
  8,000     

Iwatsuka Confectionery Co. Ltd.

     444,218         448,910   
  23,500     

J & J Snack Foods Corp.

     531,096         2,507,450   
  80,000     

Kameda Seika Co. Ltd.

     3,234,106         3,258,432   
  32,000     

Keurig Green Mountain Inc.

     881,282         3,575,360   
  1,325,000     

Kikkoman Corp.

     14,057,979         42,146,788   
  240,043     

Lifeway Foods Inc.†

     2,482,791         5,134,520   
  1,140,000     

Maple Leaf Foods Inc.

     20,573,860         20,863,922   
  3,000     

MEIJI Holdings Co. Ltd.

     117,526         366,448   
  70,000     

MGP Ingredients Inc.

     331,262         942,200   
  450,000     

Morinaga Milk Industry Co. Ltd.

     1,808,850         1,710,927   
  85,000     

NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS CO. LTD.

     2,907,986         4,188,519   
  30,000     

Nutrisystem Inc.

     382,707         599,400   
  4,000,000     

Parmalat SpA

     11,431,602         10,700,845   
  292,000     

Post Holdings Inc.†

     10,379,361         13,677,280   
  162,000     

Rock Field Co. Ltd.

     2,539,700         3,488,940   
  620,036     

Snyder’s-Lance Inc.

     13,102,929         19,816,351   
  33,000     

The Boston Beer Co. Inc., Cl. A†

     678,495         8,824,200   
  428,000     

The Hain Celestial Group Inc.†

     3,744,555         27,413,400   
  76,000     

The J.M. Smucker Co.

     2,608,859         8,795,480   
  185,000     

The WhiteWave Foods Co.†

     2,425,256         8,202,900   
  700,000     

Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp.

     1,792,917         1,506,066   
  331,696     

Tootsie Roll Industries Inc.

     6,529,087         11,251,130   
  90,000     

United Natural Foods Inc.†

     2,545,822         6,933,600   
  21,000     

Vina Concha Y Toro SA, ADR

     787,224         866,880   
  1,400,000     

Vitasoy International Holdings Ltd.

     1,028,189         2,188,671   
  20,000     

Willamette Valley Vineyards Inc.†

     73,225         120,000   
  150,000     

Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd.

     3,747,741         10,468,170   
    

 

 

    

 

 

 
         172,668,276            337,173,010   
    

 

 

    

 

 

 
 

 

Health Care — 4.4%

  

  43,000     

Achaogen Inc.†

     539,653         419,680   
  31,500     

Actavis plc†

     9,712,710         9,375,030   
  33,000     

Alere Inc.†

     791,466         1,613,700   
  15,000     

Align Technology Inc.†

     109,399         806,775   
  85,000     

AngioDynamics Inc.†

     971,946         1,512,150   
  7,000     

Anika Therapeutics Inc.†

     63,228         288,190   
  200,000     

ArthroCare Corp. Stub†

     0         70,000   
  45,678     

Biolase Inc.†

     47,356         92,270   
  12,500     

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Cl. A†

     886,923         1,689,750   
  87,000     

Bio-Reference Laboratories Inc.†

     1,893,930         3,065,880   
Shares          Cost     

Market

Value

 

 

 

 

18,000

 

  

 

 

Bruker Corp.†

  

 

$

 

164,974

 

  

  

 

$

 

332,460

 

  

  217,000     

Cantel Medical Corp.

     2,521,817         10,307,500   
  48,000     

Cempra Inc.†

     486,026         1,646,880   
  214,000     

Cepheid Inc.†

     2,876,957         12,176,600   
  184,000     

Chemed Corp.

     5,037,520         21,969,600   
  59,000     

CONMED Corp.

     1,505,771         2,978,910   
  375,000     

Cutera Inc.†

     3,941,199         4,845,000   
  89,000     

DexCom Inc.†

     832,355         5,548,260   
  28,000     

DGT Holdings Corp.†

     330,269         439,600   
  210,024     

Exactech Inc.†

     3,283,169         5,382,915   
  43,000     

Henry Schein Inc.†

     844,050         6,003,660   
  5,000     

Heska Corp.†

     39,067         128,900   
  47,000     

ICU Medical Inc.†

     2,175,859         4,377,580   
  91,000     

Kindred Healthcare Inc.

     1,668,030         2,164,890   
  100,000     

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc.†

     195,732         94,430   
  122,000     

Masimo Corp.†

     3,191,918         4,023,560   
  195,000     

Meridian Bioscience Inc.

     3,985,410         3,720,600   
  19,853     

Neogen Corp.†

     576,800         927,731   
  135,000     

NuVasive Inc.†

     3,817,435         6,208,650   
  18,000     

Ophthotech Corp.†

     726,750         837,540   
  105,000     

OPKO Health Inc.†

     284,862         1,487,850   
  95,000     

Orthofix International NV†

     1,760,970         3,409,550   
  69,678     

Owens & Minor Inc.

     1,452,849         2,357,904   
  165,000     

Pain Therapeutics Inc.†

     543,433         311,850   
  50,000     

Patterson Companies Inc.

     1,908,401         2,439,500   
  636,000     

Quidel Corp.†

     7,144,104         17,159,280   
  205,000     

RTI Surgical Inc.†

     1,010,145         1,012,700   
  925,000     

Sorin SpA†

     2,339,336         2,834,616   
  54,084     

STERIS Corp.

     1,726,476         3,800,483   
  2,300     

Straumann Holding AG

     206,988         629,553   
  3,000     

Stryker Corp.

     142,188         276,750   
  40,000     

SurModics Inc.†

     833,602         1,041,200   
  14,000     

Syneron Medical Ltd.†

     116,750         173,320   
  38,000     

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals Inc.†

     447,836         1,392,320   
  29,000     

The Cooper Companies Inc.

     1,198,854         5,435,180   
  45,500     

United-Guardian Inc.

     411,719         861,770   
  75,000     

Vascular Solutions Inc.†

     573,743         2,274,000   
  390,000     

Wright Medical Group Inc.†

     6,239,716         10,062,000   
    

 

 

    

 

 

 
          81,559,691            170,008,517   
    

 

 

    

 

 

 
 

 

Home Furnishings — 0.5%

  

  212,050     

Bassett Furniture Industries Inc.

     2,326,401         6,047,666   
  36,000     

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.†

     1,020,589         2,763,900   
  170,000     

Blyth Inc.

     2,187,081         1,290,300   
  165,000     

Ethan Allen Interiors Inc.

     4,255,759         4,560,600   
  220,000     

La-Z-Boy Inc.

     4,355,724         6,184,200   
    

 

 

    

 

 

 
       14,145,554         20,846,666   
    

 

 

    

 

 

 
 

 

Hotels and Gaming — 3.2%

  

  160,000     

Belmond Ltd., Cl. A†

     1,902,821         1,964,800   
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

9


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares          Cost    

Market

Value

 
 

 

COMMON STOCKS (Continued)

  

  Hotels and Gaming (Continued)   
  500,000     

Boyd Gaming Corp.†

   $ 4,146,653      $ 7,100,000   
  168,994     

Canterbury Park Holding Corp.†

     1,737,895        1,730,499   
  230,000     

Churchill Downs Inc.

     9,685,800        26,443,100   
  162,000     

Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment Inc.†

     751,780        189,540   
  60,000     

Formosa International Hotels Corp.

     628,960        633,749   
  75,000     

Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc.

     1,393,693        2,765,250   
  1,020,000     

Genting Singapore plc

     1,051,883        683,791   
  18,000     

Homeinns Hotel Group, ADR†

     343,247        426,060   
  360,492     

International Game Technology

     5,689,995        6,276,166   
  120,000     

Lakes Entertainment Inc.†

     993,788        1,028,400   
  173,000     

Las Vegas Sands Corp.

     908,003        9,521,920   
  2,500,000     

Mandarin Oriental International Ltd.

     3,703,826        3,975,000   
  105,000     

Morgans Hotel Group Co.†

     758,466        813,750   
  35,000     

Penn National Gaming Inc.†

     154,387        548,100   
  361,000     

Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.†

     2,719,919        13,028,490   
  560,000     

Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc.

     16,389,148        34,109,600   
  2,900,000     

The Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels Ltd.

     3,109,105        4,084,797   
  385,057     

The Marcus Corp.

     4,939,900        8,197,864   
  24,000     

Wynn Resorts Ltd.

     199,481        3,021,120   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
          61,208,750           126,541,996   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Machinery — 1.0%

    
  335,000     

Astec Industries Inc.

     12,101,146        14,364,800   
  1,685,000     

CNH Industrial NV

     5,677,380        13,749,600   
  33,000     

Global Power Equipment Group Inc.

     653,343        435,600   
  95,000     

Kennametal Inc.

     3,132,688        3,200,550   
  6,000     

Nordson Corp.

     107,171        470,040   
  150,000     

The Eastern Co.

     2,965,688        3,009,000   
  160,000     

Twin Disc Inc.

     3,527,142        2,827,200   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       28,164,558        38,056,790   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Manufactured Housing and Recreational Vehicles — 0.3%

  

  91,000     

Cavco Industries Inc.†

     2,571,702        6,830,460   
  15,000     

Drew Industries Inc.

     255,948        923,100   
  59,145     

Nobility Homes Inc.†

     677,303        709,740   
  3,000     

Polaris Industries Inc.

     161,927        423,300   
  88,490     

Skyline Corp.†

     527,722        307,945   
  60,000     

Winnebago Industries Inc.

     734,195        1,275,600   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       4,928,797        10,470,145   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
Shares          Cost    

Market

Value

 
 

 

Metals and Mining — 0.5%

  

  52,003     

Barrick Gold Corp.

   $ 1,522,648      $ 569,953   
  240,000     

Century Aluminum Co.†

     2,859,822        3,312,000   
  22,000     

Constellium NV, Cl. A†

     516,000        447,040   
  45,000     

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., Cl. A†

     117,783        32,687   
  140,000     

Kinross Gold Corp.†

     962,642        313,600   
  200,000     

Lynas Corp Ltd.†

     184,524        6,550   
  348,000     

Materion Corp.

     7,898,592        13,373,640   
  52,100     

Stillwater Mining Co.†

     477,514        673,132   
  21,017     

TimkenSteel Corp.

     618,484        556,320   
  245,000     

Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd.†

     1,368,145        764,400   
  15,000     

Yamana Gold Inc.

     50,671        53,850   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
          16,576,825           20,103,172   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Paper and Forest Products — 0.1%

  

  16,500     

Schweitzer-Mauduit International Inc.

     379,501        760,980   
  240,000     

Wausau Paper Corp.

     2,282,796        2,287,200   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       2,662,297        3,048,180   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Publishing — 1.0%

  

  80,000     

Cambium Learning Group Inc.†

     261,134        252,800   
  3,200     

Graham Holdings Co., Cl. B

     2,405,972        3,358,816   
  750,000     

Il Sole 24 Ore SpA†

     1,169,388        678,211   
  12,000     

John Wiley & Sons Inc., Cl. B

     46,500        732,360   
  1,270,000     

Journal Communications Inc., Cl. A†

     7,427,194        18,821,400   
  45,000     

Meredith Corp.

     1,246,283        2,509,650   
  65,000     

News Corp., Cl. A†

     91,837        1,040,650   
  398,000     

The E.W. Scripps Co., Cl. A†

     2,564,268        11,319,120   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       15,212,576        38,713,007   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Real Estate — 1.2%

  

  50,000     

Capital Properties Inc., Cl. A†

     573,002        622,500   
  152,000     

Cohen & Steers Inc.

     3,488,944        6,224,400   
  230,068     

Griffin Land & Nurseries Inc.

     3,970,595        7,152,814   
  8,400     

Gyrodyne Special Distribution, LLC†

     173,880        173,880   
  20,000     

Lamar Advertising Co., Cl. A

     184,258        1,185,400   
  105,000     

Morguard Corp.

     1,338,795        12,650,902   
  126,047     

Tejon Ranch Co.†

     3,583,198        3,333,943   
  735,000     

The St. Joe Co.†

     14,068,485        13,641,600   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       27,381,157        44,985,439   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Retail — 6.6%

    
  330,000     

Aaron’s Inc.†

     3,379,591        9,342,300   
  200,000     

AutoNation Inc.†

     3,399,442        12,866,000   
  32,000     

Barnes & Noble Inc.†

     445,298        760,000   
  340,061     

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp.

     4,657,577        4,512,609   
  36,700     

Biglari Holdings Inc.†

     9,731,102        15,197,470   
  335,000     

Casey’s General Stores Inc.

     12,298,895        30,183,500   
  50,000     

Coldwater Creek Inc.†

     71,495        735   
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

10


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares          Cost    

Market

Value

 
 

 

COMMON STOCKS (Continued)

  

  Retail (Continued)   
  82,000     

Copart Inc.†

   $ 1,407,742      $ 3,080,740   
  1,000     

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc.

     59,645        152,140   
  394,000     

CST Brands Inc.

     13,244,395        17,269,020   
  470,000     

Dominion Diamond Corp.†

     6,776,799        8,032,300   
  2,500     

Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc.

     47,500        118,900   
  25,000     

Fairway Group Holdings Corp.†

     169,705        169,250   
  10,000     

GNC Holdings Inc., Cl. A

     428,073        490,700   
  90,000     

HSN Inc.

     2,719,865        6,140,700   
  665,000     

Ingles Markets Inc., Cl. A

     11,051,587        32,904,200   
  615,000     

J.C. Penney Co. Inc.†

     7,711,387        5,172,150   
  380,000     

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc.†

     2,420,097        7,596,200   
  180,000     

Macy’s Inc.

     2,590,692        11,683,800   
  80,000     

Movado Group Inc.

     1,353,733        2,281,600   
  108,000     

Murphy USA Inc.†

     4,233,837        7,815,960   
  157,000     

Nathan’s Famous Inc.

     2,358,179        8,501,550   
  100,000     

Penske Automotive Group Inc.

     1,476,842        5,149,000   
  580,000     

Pier 1 Imports Inc.

     6,896,028        8,108,400   
  24,000     

Regis Corp.†

     471,644        392,640   
  125,000     

Roundy’s Inc.†

     518,493        611,250   
  290,000     

Rush Enterprises Inc., Cl. B†

     3,282,048        7,168,800   
  3,100     

Sprouts Farmers Market Inc.†

     57,829        109,213   
  130,000     

SUPERVALU Inc.†

     1,278,014        1,511,900   
  450,000     

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc.

     3,857,156        3,132,000   
  406,000     

The Cheesecake Factory Inc.

     11,496,063        20,027,980   
  165,000     

The Wendy’s Co.

     1,329,631        1,798,500   
  225,000     

Tractor Supply Co.

     2,048,875        19,138,500   
  43,173     

Village Super Market Inc., Cl. A

     1,125,566        1,357,359   
  17,000     

Vitamin Shoppe, Inc.†

     725,178        700,230   
  56,000     

Weis Markets Inc.

     1,772,705        2,786,560   
  2,000     

Winmark Corp.

     139,365        175,140   
  12,000     

Yoox SpA†

     295,129        332,251   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
          127,327,202           256,771,547   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Specialty Chemicals — 4.3%

  

  28,000     

A. Schulman Inc.

     660,272        1,349,600   
  17,000     

Airgas Inc.

     534,158        1,803,870   
  126,030     

Albemarle Corp.

     4,114,394        6,659,425   
  60,000     

Ashland Inc.

     964,511        7,638,600   
  1,450,000     

Chemtura Corp.†

     31,620,144        39,570,500   
  24,000     

Cytec Industries Inc.

     358,846        1,296,960   
  2,328,662     

Ferro Corp.†

     15,708,252        29,224,708   
  305,000     

H.B. Fuller Co.

     4,074,383        13,075,350   
  90,000     

Hawkins Inc.

     3,293,886        3,419,100   
  1,100,000     

Huntsman Corp.

     8,143,516        24,387,000   
  17,000     

NewMarket Corp.

     1,756,739        8,122,600   
Shares          Cost    

Market

Value

 

 

 

 

300,000

 

  

 

 

OMNOVA Solutions Inc.†

  

 

$

 

574,864

 

  

 

 

$

 

2,559,000

 

  

  13,000     

Quaker Chemical Corp.

     214,482        1,113,320   
  250,000     

Sensient Technologies Corp.

     5,092,725        17,220,000   
  617,366     

Zep Inc.

     8,598,108        10,513,743   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       85,709,280        167,953,776   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Telecommunications — 1.5%

  

  98,000     

Atlantic Tele-Network Inc.

     4,054,326        6,783,560   
  2,783,607     

Cincinnati Bell Inc.†

     9,160,549        9,826,133   
  65,000     

Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc.

     744,345        1,326,000   
  790,000     

Gogo Inc.†

     13,344,448        15,057,400   
  250,000     

HC2 Holdings Inc.†

     1,000,923        2,737,500   
  6,000     

IDT Corp., Cl. B

     48,867        106,500   
  360,025     

Ixia†

     5,235,626        4,367,103   
  30,000     

Loral Space & Communications Inc.†

     1,155,997        2,053,200   
  139,000     

New ULM Telecom Inc.

     1,286,565        1,000,800   
  115,000     

Rogers Communications Inc., Cl. B

     555,319        3,850,200   
  116,005     

Shenandoah Telecommunications Co.

     982,995        3,614,716   
  705,000     

Sprint Corp.†

     3,684,619        3,341,700   
  37,584     

Verizon Communications Inc.

     846,702        1,827,710   
  815,000     

VimpelCom Ltd., ADR

     2,480,014        4,270,600   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       44,581,295        60,163,122   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Transportation — 0.9%

  

  477,000     

GATX Corp.

     14,579,829        27,656,460   
  20,000     

Irish Continental Group plc

     14,688        90,321   
  347,019     

ModusLink Global Solutions Inc.†

     1,326,545        1,336,023   
  88,000     

Navigator Holdings Ltd.†

     1,852,176        1,680,800   
  133,000     

Providence and Worcester Railroad Co.

     1,888,133        2,404,640   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       19,661,371        33,168,244   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Wireless Communications — 1.1%

  

  43,600,000     

Cable & Wireless Communications plc

     36,831,365        39,419,982   
  42,000     

Millicom International Cellular SA, SDR

     3,286,349        3,043,143   
  540,105     

NII Holdings Inc.†

     366,004        23,495   
  50,000     

United States Cellular Corp.†

     1,991,054        1,786,000   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       42,474,772        44,272,620   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCKS

  

 

 

 

 1,759,102,239

 

  

 

 

 

 

 3,529,030,238

 

  

    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

PREFERRED STOCKS — 0.1%

  

  Automotive: Parts and Accessories — 0.1%   
  46,000     

Jungheinrich AG

     948,781        2,967,678   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

11


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Schedule of Investments (Continued) — March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Shares          Cost    

Market

Value

 
 

 

CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCKS — 0.1%

  

  Diversified Industrial — 0.1%     
  60,098     

Sevcon Inc.,
4.000%, Ser. A

   $      1,292,107      $      1,409,899   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

RIGHTS — 0.0%

    
  Health Care — 0.0%     
  58,000     

Durata Therapeutics Inc., CVR†

     0        9,280   
  300,000     

Sanofi, CVR, expire 12/31/20†

     280,936        203,400   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
       280,936        212,680   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Hotels and Gaming — 0.0%

  

  625,000     

Mandarin Oriental International Ltd., expire 04/08/15†

     0        162,500   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

Wireless Communications — 0.0%

  

  200,000     

Leap Wireless International Inc., CVR, expire 03/14/16†

     463,949        504,000   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
  TOTAL RIGHTS      744,885        879,180   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

WARRANTS — 0.0%

    
  Real Estate — 0.0%     
  11,091     

Tejon Ranch Co., expire 08/31/16†

     66,494        8,873   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Principal

Amount

                  
 

 

CORPORATE BONDS — 0.0%

  

  Real Estate — 0.0%   
$     65,376     

Capital Properties Inc., 5.000%, 12/31/22

     65,376        62,189   
  93,191     

Gyrodyne Co. of America Inc., Sub. Deb.,
5.000%, 06/30/17

     93,191        93,191   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

TOTAL CORPORATE BONDS

     158,567        155,380   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
Principal
Amount
         Cost    

Market

Value

 
 

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS — 9.4%

  

$ 367,495,000     

U.S. Treasury Bills, 0.010% to 0.145%††, 04/09/15 to 09/24/15

   $ 367,396,089      $ 367,424,205   
    

 

 

   

 

 

 
 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS — 100.1%

   $  2,129,709,162        3,901,875,453   
    

 

 

   
 

Other Assets and Liabilities (Net) — (0.1)%

       (3,894,186
      

 

 

 
 

 

NET ASSETS — 100.0%

     $  3,897,981,267   
      

 

 

 

 

(a)

Security considered an affiliated holding because the Fund owns at least 5% of its outstanding shares.

Non-income producing security.

††

Represents annualized yield at date of purchase.

ADR

American Depositary Receipt

CVR

Contingent Value Right

SDR

Swedish Depositary Receipt

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

12


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Assets:

  

Investments, at value (cost $2,112,531,880)

   $ 3,876,252,691   

Investments in affiliates, at value
(cost $17,177,282)

     25,622,762   

Cash

     4,067   

Receivable for Fund shares sold

     5,194,557   

Receivable for investments sold

     1,824,074   

Dividends and interest receivable

     3,166,045   

Prepaid expenses

     107,355   
  

 

 

 

Total Assets

     3,912,171,551   
  

 

 

 

Liabilities:

  

Payable for investments purchased

     5,724,823   

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

     3,555,923   

Payable for investment advisory fees

     3,190,526   

Payable for distribution fees

     733,110   

Payable for accounting fees

     7,500   

Other accrued expenses

     978,402   
  

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

     14,190,284   
  

 

 

 

Net Assets
(applicable to 76,670,116 shares outstanding)

   $ 3,897,981,267   
  

 

 

 

Net Assets Consist of:

  

Paid-in capital

   $ 2,080,500,244   

Accumulated net investment loss

     (9,794,232

Accumulated net realized gain on investments and foreign currency transactions

     55,115,389   

Net unrealized appreciation on investments

     1,772,166,291   

Net unrealized depreciation on foreign currency translations

     (6,425
  

 

 

 

Net Assets

   $ 3,897,981,267   
  

 

 

 

Shares of Capital Stock, each at $0.001 par value:

  

Class AAA:

  

Net Asset Value, offering, and redemption price per share ($2,182,053,941 ÷ 42,837,540 shares outstanding; 150,000,000 shares authorized)

     $50.94   

Class A:

  

Net Asset Value and redemption price per share ($315,736,933 ÷ 6,201,014 shares outstanding; 50,000,000 shares authorized)

     $50.92   

Maximum offering price per share (NAV ÷ 0.9425, based on maximum sales charge of 5.75% of the offering price)

     $54.03   

Class C:

  

Net Asset Value and offering price per share ($248,059,982 ÷ 5,339,709 shares outstanding; 50,000,000 shares authorized)

     $46.46 (a) 

Class I:

  

Net Asset Value, offering, and redemption price per share ($1,152,130,411 ÷ 22,291,853 shares outstanding; 50,000,000 shares authorized)

     $51.68   

Statement of Operations

For the Six Months Ended March 31, 2015 (Unaudited)

 

 

Investment Income:

  

Dividends - unaffiliated (net of foreign withholding taxes of $104,299)

   $ 23,640,849   

Dividends - affiliated

     79,620   

Interest

     91,424   
  

 

 

 

Total Investment Income

     23,811,893   
  

 

 

 

Expenses:

  

Investment advisory fees

     18,151,857   

Distribution fees - Class AAA

     2,663,655   

Distribution fees - Class A

     378,741   

Distribution fees - Class C

     1,166,696   

Shareholder services fees

     1,640,321   

Shareholder communication expenses

     294,500   

Custodian fees

     188,003   

Registration expenses

     56,902   

Directors’ fees

     49,253   

Legal and audit fees

     35,471   

Accounting fees

     22,500   

Interest expense

     1,751   

Miscellaneous expenses

     77,707   
  

 

 

 

Total Expenses

     24,727,357   
  

 

 

 

Less:

  

Advisory fee reduction on unsupervised assets (Note 3)

     (35,607
  

 

 

 

Net Expenses

     24,691,750   
  

 

 

 

Net Investment Loss

     (879,857
  

 

 

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain/(Loss) on Investments and Foreign Currency:

  

Net realized gain on investments - unaffiliated

     74,467,548   

Net realized gain on investments - affiliated

     40,799   

Net realized loss on foreign currency transactions

     (25,390
  

 

 

 

Net realized gain on investments and foreign currency transactions

     74,482,957   
  

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation:

  

on investments

     295,206,664   

on foreign currency translations

     (6,470
  

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency translations

     295,200,194   
  

 

 

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain/(Loss) on Investments and Foreign Currency

     369,683,151   
  

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

   $ 368,803,294   
  

 

 

 
 

 

(a)     Redemption price varies based on the length of time held.

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

13


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

 

 

     Six Months Ended
March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)
  Year Ended
September 30, 2014

Operations:

        

Net investment loss

     $ (879,857 )     $ (10,076,017 )

Net realized gain on investments and foreign currency transactions

       74,482,957         67,998,353  

Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency translations

       295,200,194         119,217,026  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

       368,803,294         177,139,362  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions to Shareholders:

        

Net realized gain

        

Class AAA

       (40,491,589 )       (68,072,369 )

Class A

       (5,714,487 )       (9,652,279 )

Class C

       (4,769,460 )       (6,557,956 )

Class I

       (17,578,191 )       (17,986,622 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Distributions to Shareholders

       (68,553,727 )       (102,269,226 )
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Capital Share Transactions:

        

Class AAA

       (97,232,249 )       (128,027,101 )

Class A

       (2,014,959 )       (22,094,719 )

Class C

       7,272,484         34,143,378  

Class I

       171,463,345         327,375,183  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

       79,488,621         211,396,741  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Redemption Fees

       8,533         24,979  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets

       379,746,721         286,291,856  

Net Assets:

        

Beginning of year

       3,518,234,546         3,231,942,690  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

End of period (including undistributed net investment income of $0 and $0, respectively)

     $ 3,897,981,267       $ 3,518,234,546  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

14


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Financial Highlights

 

Selected data for a share of capital stock outstanding throughout each period:

 

          Income (Loss)
    from Investment Operations    
                    Distributions                                               Ratio to Average Net Assets/             
Supplemental Data
Year Ended
September 30
   Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Year
   Net
Investment
Income
(Loss) (a)(b)
  Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
on
Investments
  Total from
Investment
Operations
  Net
Investment
Income
  Net
Realized
Gain on
Investments
  Total
Distributions
  Redemption
Fees (b)(c)
   Net Asset
Value,
End of
Period
   Total
Return †
 

Net Assets
End of

Period

(in 000’s)

  

Net
Investment
Income

(Loss) (a)

  Operating
Expenses (d)
  Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

Class AAA

                                                            

2015(e)

     $ 46.91        $ (0.02 )     $ 4.97       $ 4.95               $ (0.92 )     $ (0.92 )     $ 0.00        $ 50.94          10.63 %     $ 2,182,054          (0.08 )%       1.38 %       5 %

2014

       45.82          (0.14 )       2.65         2.51                 (1.42 )       (1.42 )       0.00          46.91          5.47         2,103,544          (0.28 )       1.38         5  

2013

       35.84          0.20         10.87         11.07       $ (0.25 )       (0.84 )       (1.09 )       0.00          45.82          31.82         2,171,213          0.50         1.39         5  

2012

       29.16          (0.03 )       7.46         7.43                 (0.75 )       (0.75 )       0.00          35.84          25.98         1,535,477          (0.09 )       1.41         7  

2011

       29.97          (0.10 )       (0.71 )       (0.81 )                               0.00          29.16          (2.70 )       1,539,100          (0.30 )       1.42         14  

2010

       25.81          (0.06 )       4.22         4.16                                 0.00          29.97          16.12         1,435,780          (0.23 )       1.44         14  

Class A

                                                            

2015(e)

     $ 46.89        $ (0.02 )     $ 4.97       $ 4.95               $ (0.92 )     $ (0.92 )     $ 0.00        $ 50.92          10.64 %     $ 315,737          (0.07 )%       1.38 %       5 %

2014

       45.80          (0.14 )       2.65         2.51                 (1.42 )       (1.42 )       0.00          46.89          5.47         292,796          (0.28 )       1.38         5  

2013

       35.84          0.17         10.89         11.06       $ (0.26 )       (0.84 )       (1.10 )       0.00          45.80          31.80         305,617          0.43         1.39         5  

2012

       29.15          (0.03 )       7.47         7.44                 (0.75 )       (0.75 )       0.00          35.84          26.02         169,823          (0.08 )       1.41         7  

2011

       29.96          (0.10 )       (0.71 )       (0.81 )                               0.00          29.15          (2.70 )       145,049          (0.31 )       1.42         14  

2010

       25.81          (0.06 )       4.21         4.15                                 0.00          29.96          16.08         115,265          (0.22 )       1.44         14  

Class C

                                                            

2015(e)

     $ 43.01        $ (0.18 )     $ 4.55       $ 4.37               $ (0.92 )     $ (0.92 )     $ 0.00        $ 46.46          10.24 %     $ 248,060          (0.82 )%       2.13 %       5 %

2014

       42.43          (0.46 )       2.46         2.00                 (1.42 )       (1.42 )       0.00          43.01          4.68         222,684          (1.03 )       2.13         5  

2013

       33.27          (0.12 )       10.12         10.00                 (0.84 )       (0.84 )       0.00          42.43          30.80         186,540          (0.32 )       2.14         5  

2012

       27.31          (0.26 )       6.97         6.71                 (0.75 )       (0.75 )       0.00          33.27          25.08         102,214          (0.83 )       2.16         7  

2011

       28.28          (0.34 )       (0.63 )       (0.97 )                               0.00          27.31          (3.43 )       81,289          (1.05 )       2.17         14  

2010

       24.54          (0.25 )       3.99         3.74                                 0.00          28.28          15.24         64,830          (0.98 )       2.19         14  

Class I

                                                            

2015(e)

     $ 47.52        $ 0.05       $ 5.03       $ 5.08               $ (0.92 )     $ (0.92 )     $ 0.00        $ 51.68          10.77 %     $ 1,152,130          0.21 %       1.13 %       5 %

2014

       46.29          (0.01 )       2.66         2.65                 (1.42 )       (1.42 )       0.00          47.52          5.72         899,211          (0.03 )       1.13         5  

2013

       36.29          0.29         10.99         11.28       $ (0.44 )       (0.84 )       (1.28 )       0.00          46.29          32.14         568,573          0.71         1.14         5  

2012

       29.44          0.08         7.52         7.60                 (0.75 )       (0.75 )       0.00          36.29          26.31         344,869          0.24         1.16         7  

2011

       30.18          (0.02 )       (0.72 )       (0.74 )                               0.00          29.44          (2.45 )       164,494          (0.05 )       1.17         14  

2010

       25.93          0.01         4.24         4.25                                 0.00          30.18          16.39         135,112          0.02         1.19         14  

 

  †

Total return represents aggregate total return of a hypothetical $1,000 investment at the beginning of the year and sold at the end of the period including reinvestment of distributions and does not reflect the applicable sales charges. Total return for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

(a)

Due to capital share activity throughout the period, net investment income (loss) per share and the ratio to average net assets are not necessarily correlated among the different classes of shares.

(b)

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares outstanding method.

(c)

Amount represents less than $0.005 per share.

(d)

The ratios do not include a reduction of advisory fee on unsupervised assets for the years ended September 30, 2012, 2011, and 2010. Including such advisory fee reduction on unsupervised assets, the ratios of operating expenses to average net assets would have been 1.40%, 1.41%, and 1.42% (Class AAA and Class A), 2.15%, 2.16%, and 2.17% (Class C), and 1.15%, 1.16%, and 1.17% (Class I), respectively. For the six months ended March 31, 2015 and the years ended September 30, 2014, and 2013, the effect was minimal.

(e)

For the six months ended March 31, 2015, unaudited.

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

15


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited)

 

1. Organization. The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund is a series of the Gabelli Equity Series Funds, Inc. (the “Corporation”). The Corporation was incorporated on July 25, 1991 in Maryland. The Fund is a diversified open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and one of three separately managed portfolios of the Corporation. The Fund seeks to provide a high level of capital appreciation. Gabelli Funds, LLC (the “Adviser”) currently characterizes small capitalization companies for the Fund as those with total common stock market values of $3 billion or less at the time of investment. The Fund commenced investment operations on October 22, 1991.

2. Significant Accounting Policies. As an investment company, the Fund follows the investment company accounting and reporting guidance, which is part of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) that may require the use of management estimates and assumptions in the preparation of its financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements.

Security Valuation. Portfolio securities listed or traded on a nationally recognized securities exchange or traded in the U.S. over-the-counter market for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last quoted sale price or a market’s official closing price as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued. If there were no sales that day, the security is valued at the average of the closing bid and asked prices or, if there were no asked prices quoted on that day, then the security is valued at the closing bid price on that day. If no bid or asked prices are quoted on such day, the security is valued at the most recently available price or, if the Board of Directors (the “Board”) so determines, by such other method as the Board shall determine in good faith to reflect its fair market value. Portfolio securities traded on more than one national securities exchange or market are valued according to the broadest and most representative market, as determined by the Adviser.

Portfolio securities primarily traded on a foreign market are generally valued at the preceding closing values of such securities on the relevant market, but may be fair valued pursuant to procedures established by the Board if market conditions change significantly after the close of the foreign market, but prior to the close of business on the day the securities are being valued. Debt instruments with remaining maturities of sixty days or less that are not credit impaired are valued at amortized cost, unless the Board determines such amount does not reflect the securities’ fair value, in which case these securities will be fair valued as determined by the Board. Debt instruments having a maturity greater than sixty days for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the average of the latest bid and asked prices. If there were no asked prices quoted on such day, the security is valued using the closing bid price. U.S. government obligations with maturities greater than sixty days are normally valued using a model that incorporates market observable data such as reported sales of similar securities, broker quotes, yields, bids, offers, and reference data. Certain securities are valued principally using dealer quotations. Futures contracts are valued at the closing settlement price of the exchange or board of trade on which the applicable contract is traded.

Securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available are fair valued as determined by the Board. Fair valuation methodologies and procedures may include, but are not limited to: analysis and review of available financial and non-financial information about the company; comparisons with the valuation and changes in valuation of similar securities, including a comparison of foreign securities with the equivalent U.S.

 

16


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

dollar value American Depositary Receipt securities at the close of the U.S. exchange; and evaluation of any other information that could be indicative of the value of the security.

The inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value of the Fund’s investments are summarized into three levels as described in the hierarchy below:

   

Level  1  —  quoted prices in active markets for identical securities;

   

Level 2  — other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.); and

   

Level 3  — significant unobservable inputs (including the Board’s determinations as to the fair value of investments).

A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input both individually and in the aggregate that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. The summary of the Fund’s investments in securities by inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of March 31, 2015 is as follows:

 

     Valuation Inputs         
    

Level 1

 Quoted Prices 

    

Level 2 Other Significant
Observable Inputs

     Level 3 Significant
Unobservable Inputs
    

Total Market Value
       at 3/31/15       

 

INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES:

           

ASSETS (Market Value):

           

Common Stocks:

           

Consumer Products

     $     55,434,700         —                 $          262                 $     55,434,962    

Financial Services

     176,668,485         —                 601                 176,669,086    

Food and Beverage

     336,522,910         —                 650,100                 337,173,010    

Health Care

     169,938,517         —                 70,000                 170,008,517    

Real Estate

     44,811,559         —                 173,880                 44,985,439    

Retail

     256,770,812         —                 735                 256,771,547    

Telecommunications

     59,162,322         $    1,000,800                 —                 60,163,122    

Other Industries (a)

     2,427,824,555         —                 —                 2,427,824,555    

 

 

Total Common Stocks

     3,527,133,860         1,000,800                 895,578                 3,529,030,238    

 

 

Preferred Stocks (a)

     2,967,678         —                 —                 2,967,678    

Convertible Preferred Stocks (a)

             1,409,899                 —                 1,409,899    

Rights (a)

     203,400         —                 675,780                 879,180    

Warrants (a)

     8,873         —                 —                 8,873    

Corporate Bonds (a)

             62,189                 93,191                 155,380    

U.S. Government Obligations

             367,424,205                 —                 367,424,205    

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES – ASSETS

     $3,530,313,811         $369,897,093                 $1,664,549                 $3,901,875,453    

 

 

 

 

(a)

Please refer to the Schedule of Investments for the industry classifications of these portfolio holdings.

The Fund did not have material transfers among Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 during the six months ended March 31, 2015. The Fund’s policy is to recognize transfers among Levels as of the beginning of the reporting period.

Additional Information to Evaluate Qualitative Information.

General. The Fund uses recognized industry pricing services – approved by the Board and unaffiliated with the Adviser – to value most of its securities, and uses broker quotes provided by market makers of securities not valued by these and other recognized pricing sources. Several different pricing feeds are received to value

 

17


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

domestic equity securities, international equity securities, preferred equity securities, and fixed income securities. The data within these feeds is ultimately sourced from major stock exchanges and trading systems where these securities trade. The prices supplied by external sources are checked by obtaining quotations or actual transaction prices from market participants. If a price obtained from the pricing source is deemed unreliable, prices will be sought from another pricing service or from a broker/dealer that trades that security or similar securities.

Fair Valuation. Fair valued securities may be common and preferred equities, warrants, options, rights, and fixed income obligations. Where appropriate, Level 3 securities are those for which market quotations are not available, such as securities not traded for several days, or for which current bids are not available, or which are restricted as to transfer. Among the factors to be considered to fair value a security are recent prices of comparable securities that are publicly traded, reliable prices of securities not publicly traded, the use of valuation models, current analyst reports, valuing the income or cash flow of the issuer, or cost if the preceding factors do not apply. A significant change in the unobservable inputs could result in a lower or higher value in Level 3 securities. The circumstances of Level 3 securities are frequently monitored to determine if fair valuation measures continue to apply.

The Adviser reports quarterly to the Board the results of the application of fair valuation policies and procedures. These include back testing the prices realized in subsequent trades of these fair valued securities to fair values previously recognized.

Derivative Financial Instruments. The Fund may engage in various portfolio investment strategies by investing in a number of derivative financial instruments for the purposes of increasing the income of the Fund, hedging against changes in the value of its portfolio securities and in the value of securities it intends to purchase, or hedging against a specific transaction with respect to either the currency in which the transaction is denominated or another currency. Investing in certain derivative financial instruments, including participation in the options, futures, or swap markets, entails certain execution, liquidity, hedging, tax, and securities, interest, credit, or currency market risks. Losses may arise if the Adviser’s prediction of movements in the direction of the securities, foreign currency, and interest rate markets is inaccurate. Losses may also arise if the counterparty does not perform its duties under a contract, or that, in the event of default, the Fund may be delayed in or prevented from obtaining payments or other contractual remedies owed to it under derivative contracts. The creditworthiness of the counterparties is closely monitored in order to minimize these risks. Participation in derivative transactions involves investment risks, transaction costs, and potential losses to which the Fund would not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The consequences of these risks, transaction costs, and losses may have a negative impact on the Fund’s ability to pay distributions.

The Fund’s derivative contracts held at March 31, 2015, if any, are not accounted for as hedging instruments under GAAP and are disclosed in the Schedule of Investments together with the related counterparty.

Futures Contracts. The Fund may engage in futures contracts for the purpose of hedging against changes in the value of its portfolio securities and in the value of securities it intends to purchase. Upon entering into a futures contract, the Fund is required to deposit with the broker an amount of cash or cash equivalents equal to a certain percentage of the contract amount. This is known as the “initial margin.” Subsequent payments (“variation margin”) are made or received by the Fund each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the value of the contract, and are included in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on futures contracts. The Fund recognizes a realized gain or loss when the contract is closed.

 

18


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

There are several risks in connection with the use of futures contracts as a hedging instrument. The change in value of futures contracts primarily corresponds with the value of their underlying instruments, which may not correlate with the change in value of the investments. In addition, there is the risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid secondary market. During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Fund held no investments in futures contracts.

Foreign Currency Translations. The books and records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. Foreign currencies, investments, and other assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at current exchange rates. Purchases and sales of investment securities, income, and expenses are translated at the exchange rate prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions. Unrealized gains and losses that result from changes in foreign exchange rates and/or changes in market prices of securities have been included in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency translations. Net realized foreign currency gains and losses resulting from changes in exchange rates include foreign currency gains and losses between trade date and settlement date on investment securities transactions, foreign currency transactions, and the difference between the amounts of interest and dividends recorded on the books of the Fund and the amounts actually received. The portion of foreign currency gains and losses related to fluctuation in exchange rates between the initial purchase trade date and subsequent sale trade date is included in realized gain/(loss) on investments.

Foreign Securities. The Fund may directly purchase securities of foreign issuers. Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. The risks include possible revaluation of currencies, the inability to repatriate funds, less complete financial information about companies, and possible future adverse political and economic developments. Moreover, securities of many foreign issuers and their markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers.

Foreign Taxes. The Fund may be subject to foreign taxes on income, gains on investments, or currency repatriation, a portion of which may be recoverable. The Fund will accrue such taxes and recoveries as applicable, based upon its current interpretation of tax rules and regulations that exist in the markets in which it invests.

Restricted Securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in securities for which the markets are restricted. Restricted securities include securities whose disposition is subject to substantial legal or contractual restrictions. The sale of restricted securities often requires more time and results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses than does the sale of securities eligible for trading on national securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter markets. Restricted securities may sell at a price lower than similar securities that are not subject to restrictions on resale. Securities freely saleable among qualified institutional investors under special rules adopted by the SEC may be treated as liquid if they satisfy liquidity standards established by the Board. The continued liquidity of such securities is not as well assured as that of publicly traded securities, and accordingly the Board will monitor their liquidity. At March 31, 2015, the Fund held no restricted securities.

Securities Transactions and Investment Income. Securities transactions are accounted for on the trade date with realized gain/( loss) on investments determined by using the identified cost method. Interest income (including amortization of premium and accretion of discount) is recorded on the accrual basis. Premiums and discounts

 

19


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

on debt securities are amortized using the effective yield to maturity method. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date, except for certain dividends from foreign securities that are recorded as soon after the ex-dividend date as the Fund becomes aware of such dividends.

Determination of Net Asset Value and Calculation of Expenses. Certain administrative expenses are common to, and allocated among, various affiliated funds. Such allocations are made on the basis of each fund’s average net assets or other criteria directly affecting the expenses as determined by the Adviser pursuant to procedures established by the Board.

In calculating the NAV per share of each class, investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, redemption fees, and expenses other than class specific expenses are allocated daily to each class of shares based upon the proportion of net assets of each class at the beginning of each day. Distribution expenses are borne solely by the class incurring the expense.

Distributions to Shareholders. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions to shareholders are based on income and capital gains as determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from income and capital gains as determined under GAAP. These differences are primarily due to differing treatments of income and gains on various investment securities and foreign currency transactions held by the Fund, timing differences, and differing characterizations of distributions made by the Fund. Distributions from net investment income for federal income tax purposes include net realized gains on foreign currency transactions. These book/tax differences are either temporary or permanent in nature. To the extent these differences are permanent, adjustments are made to the appropriate capital accounts in the period when the differences arise. These reclassifications have no impact on the NAV of the Fund.

The tax character of distributions paid during the year ended September 30, 2014 was $102,269,226 of net long term capital gains.

Provision for Income Taxes. The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). It is the policy of the Fund to comply with the requirements of the Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute substantially all of its net investment company taxable income and net capital gains. Therefore, no provision for federal income taxes is required.

The Fund is permitted to carry capital losses forward for an unlimited period. Capital losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short term or long term capital losses.

The following summarizes the tax cost of investments and the related net unrealized appreciation at March 31, 2015:

 

    

         Cost         

    

Gross

Unrealized
 Appreciation 

    

Gross
Unrealized
Depreciation

    

Net Unrealized
 Appreciation 

Investments

     $ 2,138,951,477          $ 1,835,224,330          $ (72,300,354 )        $ 1,762,923,976  

The Fund is required to evaluate tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Fund’s tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Income tax and related interest and penalties would be recognized by the Fund as tax expense in the Statement of Operations if the tax positions were deemed not to meet the more-likely-than-not

 

20


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

threshold. As of March 31, 2015, the Adviser has reviewed all open tax years and concluded that there was no impact to the Fund’s net assets or results of operations. The Fund’s federal and state tax returns for the prior three fiscal years remain open, subject to examination. On an ongoing basis, the Adviser will monitor the Fund’s tax positions to determine if adjustments to this conclusion are necessary.

3. Investment Advisory Agreement and Other Transactions. The Fund has entered into an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) with the Adviser which provides that the Fund will pay the Adviser a fee, computed daily and paid monthly, at the annual rate of 1.00% of the value of its average daily net assets. In accordance with the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides a continuous investment program for the Fund’s portfolio, oversees the administration of all aspects of the Fund’s business and affairs, and pays the compensation of all Officers and Directors of the Fund who are affiliated persons of the Adviser.

There was a reduction in the advisory fee paid to the Adviser relating to certain portfolio holdings, i.e., unsupervised assets of the Fund with respect to which the Adviser transferred dispositive and voting control to the Fund’s Proxy Voting Committee. During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Fund’s Proxy Voting Committee exercised control and discretion over all rights to vote or consent with respect to such securities, and the Adviser reduced its fee with respect to such securities by $35,607.

The Corporation pays each Director who is not considered an affiliated person an annual retainer of $18,000 plus $2,000 for each Board meeting attended, and they are reimbursed for any out of pocket expenses incurred in attending meetings. All Board committee members receive $1,000 per meeting attended. The Chairman of the Audit Committee receives a $3,000 annual fee, and the Lead Director receives an annual fee of $2,000. A Director may receive a single meeting fee, allocated among the participating funds, for attending certain meetings held on behalf of multiple funds. Directors who are directors or employees of the Adviser or an affiliated company receive no compensation or expense reimbursement from the Corporation.

4. Distribution Plan. The Fund’s Board has adopted a distribution plan (the “Plan”) for each class of shares, except for Class I Shares, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the Class AAA, Class A, and Class C Share Plans, payments are authorized to G.distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”) an affiliate of the Adviser, at annual rates of 0.25%, 0.25%, and 1.00%, respectively, of the average daily net assets of those classes, the annual limitations under each Plan. Such payments are accrued daily and paid monthly.

5. Portfolio Securities. Purchases and sales of securities during the six months ended March 31, 2015, other than short term securities and U.S. Government obligations, aggregated $188,391,283 and $169,492,522, respectively.

6. Transactions with Affiliates. During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Fund paid brokerage commissions on security trades of $138,663 to G.research, Inc., an affiliate of the Adviser. Additionally, the Distributor retained a total of $61,951 from investors representing commissions (sales charges and underwriting fees) on sales and redemptions of Fund shares.

The cost of calculating the Fund’s NAV per share is a Fund expense pursuant to the Advisory Agreement. During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Fund paid or accrued $22,500 to the Adviser in connection with the cost of computing the Fund’s NAV.

 

21


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

7. Line of Credit. The Fund participates in an unsecured line of credit of up to $75,000,000 under which it may borrow up to 15% of its net assets from the custodian for temporary borrowing purposes. Borrowings under this arrangement bear interest at the higher of the sum of the overnight LIBOR rate plus 125 basis points or the sum of the federal funds rate plus 125 basis points at the time of borrowing. This amount, if any, would be included in “Interest expense” in the Statement of Operations. During the six months ended March 31, 2015, there were no borrowings under the line of credit.

8. Capital Stock. The Fund offers four classes of shares – Class AAA Shares, Class A Shares, Class C Shares, and Class I Shares. Class AAA Shares are offered without a sales charge only to investors who acquire them directly from the Distributor, through selected broker/dealers, or the transfer agent. Class I Shares are offered without a sales charge, directly through the Distributor, or brokers that have entered into selling agreements specifically with respect to Class I Shares. Class A Shares are subject to a maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75%. Class C Shares are subject to a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge for one year after purchase.

The Fund imposes a redemption fee of 2.00% on all classes of shares that are redeemed or exchanged on or before the seventh day after the date of a purchase. The redemption fee is deducted from the proceeds otherwise payable to the redeeming shareholders and is retained by the Fund as an increase in paid-in capital. The redemption fees retained by the Fund during the six month ended March 31, 2015 and the year ended September 30, 2014, if any, can be found in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets under Redemption Fees.

Transactions in shares of capital stock were as follows:

 

     Six Months Ended
March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)
         Year Ended
September 30, 2014
 
     Shares      Amount          Shares           Amount       

Class AAA

             

Shares sold

     1,919,427       $ 92,776,669           8,607,866       $ 412,503,378   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     809,658         39,559,875           1,416,168         66,545,971   

Shares redeemed

     (4,736,127      (229,568,793        (12,569,645      (607,076,450
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net decrease

     (2,007,042    $ (97,232,249        (2,545,611    $ (128,027,101
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Class A

             

Shares sold

     564,727       $ 27,407,606           2,163,826       $ 103,544,834   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     101,724         4,968,185           185,169         8,697,410   

Shares redeemed

     (709,982      (34,390,750        (2,777,505      (134,336,963
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net decrease

     (43,531    $ (2,014,959        (428,510    $ (22,094,719
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Class C

             

Shares sold

     490,535       $ 21,743,008           1,310,446       $ 57,768,591   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     96,136         4,294,403           135,407         5,871,262   

Shares redeemed

     (423,889      (18,764,927        (665,169      (29,496,475
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase

     162,782       $ 7,272,484           780,684       $ 34,143,378   
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Class I

             

Shares sold

     5,301,792       $ 266,258,730           9,741,887       $ 477,704,273   

Shares issued upon reinvestment of distributions

     311,617         15,434,376           317,573         15,084,692   

Shares redeemed

     (2,243,203      (110,229,761        (3,421,567      (165,413,782
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase

     3,370,206       $ 171,463,345           6,637,893       $ 327,375,183   
  

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

22


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

9. Transactions in Securities of Affiliated Issuers. The 1940 Act defines affiliated issuers as those in which a Fund’s holdings of an issuer represent 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer. A summary of the Fund’s transactions in the securities of these issuers during the six months ended March 31, 2015 is set forth below:

 

        Beginning  
Shares
  Shares
Purchased
  Shares
Sold/Closed
  Ending 
Shares 
  Dividend
Income
  Realized
Gain
  Value at
March 31,
2015
  Percent
Owned of
Shares
 Outstanding 

Bel Fuse Inc., Cl. A

       250,000           17,383           —             267,383           $30,000       $         —       $   4,903,804         12.29%    

Katy Industries Inc.

       500,000           —           —             500,000                           1,295,000         6.29%    

Sevcon Inc.

       295,200           4,800           —             300,000                           2,391,000         8.22%    

Strattec Security Corp.

       207,000           500           (500)            207,000           49,620         40,799         15,284,880         5.77%    

Trans-Lux Corp.

       404,180           —           —             404,180                           1,748,078         23.78%    
                    

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

Total

                       $79,620       $ 40,799       $ 25,622,762      
                    

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

10. Indemnifications. The Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts. Management has reviewed the Fund’s existing contracts and expects the risk of loss to be remote.

11. Subsequent Events. Management has evaluated the impact on the Fund of all subsequent events occurring through the date the financial statements were issued and has determined that there were no subsequent events requiring recognition or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

23


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Board Consideration and Re-Approval of Advisory Agreement (Unaudited)

 

During the six months ended March 31, 2015, the Board of Directors of the Corporation approved the continuation of the investment advisory agreement with the Adviser for the Fund on the basis of the recommendation by the directors (the “Independent Board Members”) who are not “interested persons” of the Fund. The following paragraphs summarize the material information and factors considered by the Independent Board Members as well as their conclusions relative to such factors.

Nature, Extent, and Quality of Services. The Independent Board Members considered information regarding the portfolio manager, the depth of the analyst pool available to the Adviser and the portfolio manager, the scope of administrative, shareholder, and other services supervised or provided by the Adviser and the absence of significant service problems reported to the Board. The Independent Board Members noted the experience, length of service, and reputation of the portfolio manager.

Investment Performance. The Independent Board Members reviewed the short, medium, and long term performance of the Fund against a peer group of small cap core funds chosen by Lipper as being comparable. The Independent Board Members noted that the Fund’s performance was in the third quartile for the one year period and in the second quartile for the three year and five year periods.

Profitability. The Independent Board Members reviewed summary data regarding the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser both with an administrative overhead charge and without such a charge. The Independent Board Members also noted that a substantial portion of the Fund’s portfolio transactions were executed by an affiliated broker, that another affiliated broker received distribution fees and minor amounts of sales commissions, and that the Adviser received a moderate level of soft dollar research benefits through the Fund’s portfolio brokerage.

Economies of Scale. The Independent Board Members discussed the major elements of the Adviser’s cost structure and the relationship of those elements to potential economies of scale.

Sharing of Economies of Scale. The Independent Board Members noted that the investment management fee schedule for the Fund does not take into account any potential economies of scale that may develop.

Service and Cost Comparisons. The Independent Board Members compared the expense ratios of the investment management fee, other expenses, and total expenses of the Fund with similar expense ratios of the peer group of small cap core funds and noted that the Adviser’s management fee includes substantially all administrative services for the Fund as well as investment advisory services. The Independent Board Members noted that the Fund’s expense ratios and size were above average within this group. The Independent Board Members also noted that the management fee structure was the same as that in effect for most of the Gabelli funds. The Independent Board Members were presented with, but did not consider as material to their decision, various information comparing the advisory fees with the fees for other types of accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser.

Conclusions. The Independent Board Members concluded that the Fund enjoyed highly experienced portfolio management services, good ancillary services, and a good performance record. The Independent Board Members also concluded that the Fund’s expense ratios and the profitability to the Adviser of managing the Fund were reasonable in light of the Fund’s performance and that economies of scale were not a significant factor in their thinking at this time. The Independent Board Members did not view the potential profitability of ancillary services as material to their decision. On the basis of the foregoing and without assigning particular weight to any single

 

24


The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund

Board Consideration and Re-Approval of Advisory Agreement (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

 

conclusion, the Independent Board Members determined to recommend continuation of the investment management agreements to the full Board.

Based on a consideration of all these factors in their totality, the Board Members, including all of the Independent Board Members, determined that the Fund’s advisory fee was fair and reasonable with respect to the quality of services provided and in light of the other factors described above that the Board deemed relevant. Accordingly, the Board Members determined to approve the continuation of the Fund’s Advisory Agreement. The Board Members based their decision on evaluations of all these factors as a whole and did not consider any one factor as all important or controlling.

 

25


   

 

Gabelli/GAMCO Funds and Your Personal Privacy

 

 

 

Who are we?

 

The Gabelli/GAMCO Funds are investment companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Company Act of 1940. We are managed by Gabelli Funds, LLC and GAMCO Asset Management Inc., which are affiliated with GAMCO Investors, Inc. GAMCO Investors, Inc. is a publicly held company that has subsidiaries that provide investment advisory or brokerage services for a variety of clients.

 

What kind of non-public information do we collect about you if you become a fund shareholder?

 

If you apply to open an account directly with us, you will be giving us some non-public information about yourself. The non-public information we collect about you is:

 

  Information you give us on your application form. This could include your name, address, telephone number, social security number, bank account number, and other information.

 

  Information about your transactions with us, any transactions with our affiliates, and transactions with the entities we hire to provide services to you. This would include information about the shares that you buy or redeem. If we hire someone else to provide services — like a transfer agent — we will also have information about the transactions that you conduct through them.

 

What information do we disclose and to whom do we disclose it?

 

We do not disclose any non-public personal information about our customers or former customers to anyone other than our affiliates, our service providers who need to know such information, and as otherwise permitted by law. If you want to find out what the law permits, you can read the privacy rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. They are in volume 17 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 248. The Commission often posts information about its regulations on its website, www.sec.gov.

 

What do we do to protect your personal information?

 

We restrict access to non-public personal information about you to the people who need to know that information in order to provide services to you or the fund and to ensure that we are complying with the laws governing the securities business. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to keep your personal information confidential.

 

   


THE GABELLI SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND

One Corporate Center

Rye, NY 10580-1422

Portfolio Manager Biography

Mario J. Gabelli, CFA, is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GAMCO Investors, Inc. that he founded in 1977 and Chief Investment Officer – Value Portfolios of Gabelli Funds, LLC and GAMCO Asset Management Inc. Mr. Gabelli is a summa cum laude graduate of Fordham University and holds an MBA degree from Columbia Business School and Honorary Doctorates from Fordham University and Roger Williams University.

 

 

 

 

 

Morningstar Rating™ is based on risk-adjusted returns. The Overall Morningstar Rating is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with a fund’s three, five, and ten year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. For funds with at least a three year history, a Morningstar Rating is based on a risk-adjusted return measure (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees) placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. For each fund with at least a three year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees) that accounts for variation in a fund’s monthly performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% 4 stars, the next 35% 3 stars, the next 22.5% 2 stars, and the bottom 10% 1 star. (Each share class is counted as a fraction of one fund within this scale and rated separately, which may cause slight variations in the distribution percentages.) Morningstar Rating is for the AAA Share class only; other classes may have different performance characteristics. Ratings reflect relative performance. Results for certain periods were negative. © 2015 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.

 

    

 

We have separated the portfolio manager’s commentary from the financial statements and investment portfolio due to corporate governance regulations stipulated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We have done this to ensure that the content of the portfolio manager’s commentary is unrestricted. Both the commentary and the financial statements, including the portfolio of investments, will be available on our website at www.gabelli.com.

 


Gabelli Equity Series Funds, Inc.

THE GABELLI SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND

One Corporate Center

Rye, New York 10580-1422

t  800-GABELLI (800-422-3554)

f  914-921-5118

e  info@gabelli.com

    GABELLI.COM

Net Asset Value per share available daily

by calling 800-GABELLI after 7:00 P.M.

 

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Mario J. Gabelli, CFA

Chairman and

Chief Executive Officer,

GAMCO Investors, Inc.

 

Anthony J. Colavita

President,

Anthony J. Colavita, P.C.

 

Vincent D. Enright

Former Senior Vice

President and Chief

Financial Officer,

KeySpan Corp.

 

John D. Gabelli

Senior Vice President,

G.research, Inc.

 

Robert J. Morrissey

Partner,

Morrissey, Hawkins & Lynch

 

Kuni Nakamura

President,

Advanced Polymer, Inc.

 

Anthony R. Pustorino

Certified Public Accountant,

Professor Emeritus,

Pace University

  

Anthonie C. van Ekris

Chairman,

BALMAC International, Inc.

 

Salvatore J. Zizza

Chairman,

Zizza & Associates Corp.

 

OFFICERS

 

Bruce N. Alpert

President

 

Andrea R. Mango

Secretary

 

Agnes Mullady

Treasurer

 

Richard J. Walz

Chief Compliance Officer

 

DISTRIBUTOR

 

G.distributors, LLC

 

CUSTODIAN, TRANSFER

AGENT, AND DIVIDEND

DISBURSING AGENT

 

State Street Bank and Trust

Company

 

LEGAL COUNSEL

 

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

 

 

This report is submitted for the general information of the shareholders of The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund. It is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors unless preceded or accompanied by an effective prospectus.

 

 

 

 

LOGO

 

Overall Morningstar Rating TM LOGO

 

Morningstar® rated The Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund Class AAA Shares 4 stars overall, 3 stars for the three year period, 4 stars for the five year period, and 5 stars for the ten year period ended March 31, 2015 among 620, 620, 559, and 360 Small Blend funds, respectively.

Morningstar RatingTM is based on risk-adjusted returns.

GAB443Q115SR

LOGO

 


Item 2. Code of Ethics.

Not applicable.

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.

Not applicable.

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed registrants.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Investments.

 

(a) Schedule of Investments in securities of unaffiliated issuers as of the close of the reporting period is included as part of the report to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this form.

 

(b)

Not applicable.

 

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 the procedures by which the shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s board of directors, where those changes were implemented after the registrant last provided disclosure in response to the requirements of Item 407(c)(2)(iv) of Regulation S-K (17 CFR 229.407) (as required by Item 22(b)(15) of Schedule 14A (17 CFR 240.14a-101)), or this Item.

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”) (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) are effective, as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(b)) and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d-15(b)).

 

  (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 (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d)) that occurred during the registrant’s second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 12. Exhibits.

 

  (a)(1)

Not applicable.

 

  (a)(2)

Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the 1940 Act and Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto.

 

  (a)(3)

Not applicable.

 

  (b)

Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(b) under the 1940 Act and Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto.


SIGNATURES

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.

 

(Registrant)

      Gabelli Equity Series Funds, Inc.

By (Signature and Title)*

   /s/ Bruce N. Alpert

        Bruce N. Alpert, Principal Executive Officer

Date

    6/03/2015

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 (Signature and Title)*

   /s/ Bruce N. Alpert

        Bruce N. Alpert, Principal Executive Officer

Date

    6/03/2015

By (Signature and Title)*

   /s/ Agnes Mullady

        Agnes Mullady, Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer

Date

    6/03/2015

* Print the name and title of each signing officer under his or her signature.