PIMCO Energy and Tactical Credit Opportunities Fund (NRGX)

NEW YORK, March 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund (the “Fund”) (NYSE: PDX)1 has declared the next two distributions for the Fund's common shares, as summarized below. In addition, the Board has approved a change in the Fund's distribution frequency, from quarterly to monthly, starting with the April Distribution (as defined below).

NEW YORK, Dec. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Trustees of PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund (the “Fund”) (NYSE: PDX) has declared a quarterly distribution for the Fund's common shares. The quarterly distribution is payable on January 2, 2024 to shareholders of record on December 11, 2023, with an ex-dividend date of December 8, 2023.

We review CEF market valuation and performance through the second week of November and highlight recent market action. Most CEF sectors struggled during the week, with only Muni sectors finishing in the green due to a reversal in Treasury yields. There is a misconception that the launch date of a fund gives it a locked-in yield position, but this is not true.

PIMCO is converting the PIMCO Energy & Tactical Credit Opps closed-end fund from an energy MLP stock fund to a multi-sector bond/credit fund to narrow the discount-to-NAV. The NRGX fund currently trades at a discount of 11.42% compared to the average multisector credit fund discount of 3.4%. By combining the long position with short exposure, the potential return is isolated and independent from market/sector returns.

PIMCO taxable CEFs previously had high valuations, but now discounts are appearing across most funds. Leverage changes have been negative, with most funds reducing leverage by 20% to 40%+. My inclination is to favor PHK and PDI here, given the NAV track records and sector allocations. I'm not wild on PDO and PAXS' higher exposure to CMBS.

Longer-term bonds are becoming more attractive to institutional investors as yields catch up to shorter-term paper. The NRGX fund experienced an NAV boost due to liquidation of a large private equity position. PIMCO is converting NRGX from a mostly energy and energy MLP stock fund to a multi-sector bond/credit fund, offering attractive valuation and potential for increased distributions.

We review CEF market valuation and performance through the last week of September and highlight recent market action. CEFs finished September on a weak note, with all sector NAVs moving lower as Treasuries and stocks fell. Investors should be careful in assuming some level of institutional ownership indicates a buy signal for a given CEF.

For the second straight month, both equity (-3.12% on a NAV basis) and fixed income (-1.94%) CEFs on average suffered downside performance. At month end, 9% of all CEFs traded at a premium to their NAV, with 11% of equity CEFs and 8% of fixed income CEFs trading in premium territory. Energy MLP CEFs (-0.72%), for the second month in a row, mitigated losses better than the other classifications in the equity CEF universe for September.

PIMCO's Tactical Credit Opportunities Fund is changing its investment mandate to focus on multi-sector credit with a reduced allocation to energy assets. The fund will be renamed the "Dynamic Income Strategy Fund" (PDX). The change in the structure, fee reduction, and other factors should lead to a partial valuation convergence with the rest of the PIMCO taxable CEF suite.

2 out of 22 CEF sectors positive on price and 1 out of 22 sectors positive on NAV. PIMCO Energy & Tactical Credit Opps will change its investment policy to a multisector fixed income fund. This will likely provide a tailwind to the NRGX fund's premium/discount valuation.

The PIMCO Energy & Tactical Credit Opps is transitioning from an energy equities closed-end fund to a credit fund. The fund will change its name to PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund and reduce its focus on energy investments. The move is expected to narrow the fund's discount to net asset value and align it with other PIMCO credit funds.

For the first month in three, both equity (-1.98% on a NAV basis) and fixed-income CEFs (-0.54%) on average suffered losses. At month end, 12% of all CEFs traded at a premium to their NAV, with 13% of equity CEFs and 11% of fixed income CEFs trading in premium territory. Energy MLP CEFs (-0.59%), for the first month in 12, mitigated losses better than the other classifications in the equity CEF universe for August.

NEW YORK, Sept. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Trustees of PIMCO Energy and Tactical Credit Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”) (NYSE: NRGX) has declared a quarterly distribution for the Fund's common shares. The quarterly distribution is payable on October 2, 2023 to shareholders of record on September 11, 2023, with an ex-dividend date of September 8, 2023.

On July 28, 2023, Saba Capital Management, L.P. (Trades, Portfolio), a renowned investment firm, added 5,731,129 shares of PIMCO Energy & Tactical Credit Opportunities ( NRGX , Financial) to its portfolio.

On July 26, 2023, Saba Capital Management, L.P. (Trades, Portfolio), a renowned investment firm, added 44,028 shares of PIMCO Energy & Tactical Credit Opportunities ( NRGX , Financial) to its portfolio.

The Pimco Energy & Tactical Credit Opportunities Fund is trading at a significant discount to its NAV. The fund's dividend yield is around 5.5% annually, which is not impressive for an energy-focused instrument, especially considering its high expense ratio of 1.76%. Despite a discount to NAV of over 15%, the fund's fixed-income investments have been hit by rising interest rates, and its repo financing and swaps are likely to be more expensive upon renewal.