UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-Q
QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY
Investment Company Act file number 811-21586
First Trust Enhanced Equity Income Fund
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400
Wheaton, IL 60187
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
W. Scott Jardine, Esq.
First Trust Portfolios L.P.
120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400
Wheaton, IL 60187
(Name and address of agent for service)
registrant's telephone number, including area code: 630-765-8000
Date of fiscal year end: December 31
Date of reporting period: March 31, 2018
Form N-Q is to be used by management investment companies, other than small business investment companies registered on Form N-5 (§§ 239.24 and 274.5 of this chapter), to file reports with the Commission, not later than 60 days after the close of the first and third fiscal quarters, pursuant to rule 30b1-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30b1-5). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-Q in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.
A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-Q, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-Q 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 the 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. Schedule of Investments.
The Schedule(s) of Investments is attached herewith.
Shares | Description | Value | ||
COMMON STOCKS – 93.8% | ||||
Aerospace & Defense – 2.2% | ||||
33,000 | Raytheon Co. (a) | $7,122,060 | ||
Air Freight & Logistics – 1.9% | ||||
24,500 | FedEx Corp. (a) | 5,882,695 | ||
Automobiles – 1.1% | ||||
95,000 | General Motors Co. (a) | 3,452,300 | ||
Banks – 10.1% | ||||
275,000 | Bank of America Corp. (a) | 8,247,250 | ||
40,000 | First Republic Bank (a) | 3,704,400 | ||
94,000 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. (a) | 10,337,180 | ||
200,000 | KeyCorp (a) | 3,910,000 | ||
24,000 | SVB Financial Group (b) | 5,760,240 | ||
31,959,070 | ||||
Beverages – 3.5% | ||||
20,000 | Constellation Brands, Inc., Class A | 4,558,400 | ||
60,000 | PepsiCo, Inc. | 6,549,000 | ||
11,107,400 | ||||
Biotechnology – 2.1% | ||||
42,500 | Celgene Corp. (b) | 3,791,425 | ||
39,000 | Gilead Sciences, Inc. (a) | 2,940,210 | ||
6,731,635 | ||||
Capital Markets – 1.6% | ||||
95,000 | Charles Schwab (The) Corp. | 4,960,900 | ||
Chemicals – 1.5% | ||||
75,000 | DowDuPont, Inc. (a) | 4,778,250 | ||
Communications Equipment – 3.2% | ||||
170,000 | Cisco Systems, Inc. (a) | 7,291,300 | ||
15,000 | Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (b) | 2,722,800 | ||
10,014,100 | ||||
Containers & Packaging – 1.0% | ||||
50,000 | WestRock Co. | 3,208,500 | ||
Diversified Telecommunication Services – 1.3% | ||||
120,000 | AT&T, Inc. (a) | 4,278,000 | ||
Electric Utilities – 2.2% | ||||
100,000 | Exelon Corp. (a) | 3,901,000 | ||
110,000 | PPL Corp. | 3,111,900 | ||
7,012,900 | ||||
Energy Equipment & Services – 1.1% | ||||
56,000 | Schlumberger Ltd. | 3,627,680 | ||
Food & Staples Retailing – 1.9% | ||||
32,000 | Costco Wholesale Corp. (a) | 6,029,760 | ||
Food Products – 0.9% | ||||
45,000 | Kraft Heinz (The) Co. (a) | 2,803,050 | ||
Health Care Providers & Services – 2.1% | ||||
31,600 | UnitedHealth Group, Inc. | 6,762,400 |
Shares | Description | Value | ||
COMMON STOCKS (Continued) | ||||
Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure – 3.0% | ||||
100,000 | Carnival Corp. | $6,558,000 | ||
50,000 | Six Flags Entertainment Corp. | 3,113,000 | ||
9,671,000 | ||||
Industrial Conglomerates – 1.8% | ||||
40,000 | Honeywell International, Inc. (a) | 5,780,400 | ||
Insurance – 4.0% | ||||
45,000 | Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (a) | 3,092,850 | ||
39,000 | Chubb, Ltd. (a) | 5,334,030 | ||
40,000 | Prudential Financial, Inc. (a) | 4,142,000 | ||
12,568,880 | ||||
IT Services – 0.8% | ||||
32,000 | PayPal Holdings, Inc. (a) | 2,427,840 | ||
Life Sciences Tools & Services – 2.3% | ||||
35,000 | Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. | 7,226,100 | ||
Machinery – 2.0% | ||||
16,000 | Caterpillar, Inc. (a) | 2,358,080 | ||
25,500 | Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (a) | 3,906,600 | ||
6,264,680 | ||||
Media – 4.3% | ||||
59,000 | CBS Corp., Class B (a) | 3,032,010 | ||
115,000 | Cinemark Holdings, Inc. | 4,332,050 | ||
105,000 | Comcast Corp., Class A | 3,587,850 | ||
110,000 | Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., Class B (a) | 2,648,800 | ||
13,600,710 | ||||
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels – 4.7% | ||||
50,000 | Chevron Corp. (a) | 5,702,000 | ||
33,000 | Exxon Mobil Corp. (a) | 2,462,130 | ||
50,000 | Hess Corp. (a) | 2,531,000 | ||
63,000 | Occidental Petroleum Corp. | 4,092,480 | ||
14,787,610 | ||||
Pharmaceuticals – 5.8% | ||||
110,000 | Merck & Co., Inc. (a) | 5,991,700 | ||
235,000 | Pfizer, Inc. | 8,340,150 | ||
50,000 | Zoetis, Inc. | 4,175,500 | ||
18,507,350 | ||||
Road & Rail – 1.0% | ||||
28,000 | JB Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (a) | 3,280,200 | ||
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment – 7.6% | ||||
95,000 | Applied Materials, Inc. (a) | 5,282,950 | ||
21,000 | Broadcom Ltd. (a) | 4,948,650 | ||
150,000 | Intel Corp. (a) | 7,812,000 | ||
120,000 | Micron Technology, Inc. (b) | 6,256,800 | ||
24,300,400 | ||||
Software – 9.4% | ||||
40,000 | Activision Blizzard, Inc. (a) | 2,698,400 | ||
17,000 | Adobe Systems, Inc. (a) (b) | 3,673,360 | ||
20,000 | Electronic Arts, Inc. (a) (b) | 2,424,800 |
Shares | Description | Value | ||
COMMON STOCKS (Continued) | ||||
Software (Continued) | ||||
170,000 | Microsoft Corp. (a) | $15,515,900 | ||
125,000 | Oracle Corp. (a) | 5,718,750 | ||
30,031,210 | ||||
Specialty Retail – 1.7% | ||||
30,000 | Home Depot (The), Inc. (a) | 5,347,200 | ||
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals – 4.5% | ||||
85,000 | Apple, Inc. (a) | 14,261,300 | ||
Tobacco – 3.2% | ||||
60,000 | Altria Group, Inc. (a) | 3,739,200 | ||
66,000 | Philip Morris International, Inc. (a) | 6,560,400 | ||
10,299,600 | ||||
Total Common Stocks | 298,085,180 | |||
(Cost $240,038,893) | ||||
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS – 3.2% | ||||
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts – 2.3% | ||||
45,000 | Crown Castle International Corp. (a) | 4,932,450 | ||
40,000 | Lamar Advertising Co., Class A (a) | 2,546,400 | ||
7,478,850 | ||||
Mortgage Real Estate Investment Trusts – 0.9% | ||||
90,000 | Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc., Class A (a) | 2,827,800 | ||
Total Real Estate Investment Trusts | 10,306,650 | |||
(Cost $9,355,077) | ||||
COMMON STOCKS – BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES - 0.9% | ||||
Capital Markets – 0.9% | ||||
180,000 | Ares Capital Corp. (a) | 2,856,600 | ||
(Cost $3,116,652) | ||||
EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS – 0.5% | ||||
Capital Markets – 0.5% | ||||
6,000 | SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust (a) | 1,578,900 | ||
(Cost $1,559,745) |
Shares | Description | Stated Rate | Stated Maturity (c) | Value | ||||
CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED SECURITIES – 1.6% | ||||||||
Health Care Equipment & Supplies – 0.7% | ||||||||
40,000 | Becton Dickinson and Co., Series A | 6.13% | 05/01/20 | 2,337,200 | ||||
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels – 0.9% | ||||||||
45,500 | Hess Corp. | 8.00% | 02/01/19 | 2,709,980 | ||||
Total Convertible Preferred Securities | 5,047,180 | |||||||
(Cost $4,990,768) |
Total Investments – 100.0% |
317,874,510 | |||
(Cost $259,061,135) (d) |
Number of Contracts | Description | Notional Amount | Exercise Price | Expiration Date | Value | |||||
CALL OPTIONS WRITTEN – (0.3)% | ||||||||||
60 | Adobe Systems, Inc. | $1,296,480 | $230.00 | Apr 2018 | (12,000) |
Number of Contracts | Description | Notional Amount | Exercise Price | Expiration Date | Value | |||||
CALL OPTIONS WRITTEN (Continued) | ||||||||||
235 | Applied Materials, Inc. | $1,306,835 | $62.50 | Apr 2018 | $(7,285) | |||||
250 | Carnival Corp. | 1,639,500 | 70.00 | Apr 2018 | (3,750) | |||||
350 | Cisco Systems, Inc. | 1,501,150 | 46.00 | Apr 2018 | (3,850) | |||||
60 | Constellation Brands, Inc. | 1,367,520 | 225.00 | Apr 2018 | (45,000) | |||||
100 | FedEx Corp. | 2,401,100 | 260.00 | Apr 2018 | (6,000) | |||||
175 | Hess Corp. | 885,850 | 55.00 | Apr 2018 | (5,950) | |||||
300 | Intel Corp. | 1,562,400 | 54.00 | Apr 2018 | (19,500) | |||||
150 | Micron Technology, Inc. | 782,100 | 57.50 | Apr 2018 | (9,150) | |||||
350 | Micron Technology, Inc. | 1,824,900 | 60.00 | Apr 2018 | (9,450) | |||||
325 | Oracle Corp. | 1,486,875 | 55.00 | Apr 2018 | (650) | |||||
50 | Palo Alto Networks, Inc. | 907,600 | 190.00 | Apr 2018 | (12,600) | |||||
100 | PayPal Holdings, Inc. | 758,700 | 85.00 | Apr 2018 | (1,900) | |||||
100 | Raytheon Co. | 2,158,200 | 220.00 | Apr 2018 | (22,200) | |||||
150 | S&P 500® Index (e) | 39,613,050 | 2,700.00 | Apr 2018 | (306,000) | |||||
200 | S&P 500® Index (e) | 52,817,400 | 2,725.00 | Apr 2018 | (259,000) | |||||
250 | S&P 500® Index (e) | 66,021,750 | 2,750.00 | Apr 2018 | (165,000) | |||||
60 | SVB Financial Group | 1,440,060 | 280.00 | Apr 2018 | (960) | |||||
Total Call Options Written | (890,245) | |||||||||
(Premiums received $969,378) |
Net Other Assets and Liabilities – 0.3% |
838,450 | |||
Net Assets – 100.0% |
$317,822,715 |
(a) | All or a portion of these securities are pledged to cover index call options written. |
(b) | Non-income producing security. |
(c) | Stated maturity represents the mandatory conversion date. |
(d) | Aggregate cost for financial reporting purposes approximates the aggregate cost for federal income tax purposes. As of March 31, 2018, the aggregate gross unrealized appreciation for all investments in which there was an excess of value over tax cost was $66,119,973 and the aggregate gross unrealized depreciation for all investments in which there was an excess of tax cost over value was $7,227,465. The net unrealized appreciation was $58,892,508. The amounts presented are inclusive of derivative contracts. |
(e) | Call options on securities indices were written on a portion of the common stock positions that were not used to cover call options written on individual equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio. |
ASSETS TABLE | ||||
Total Value at 3/31/2018 | Level 1 Quoted Prices | Level 2 Significant Observable Inputs | Level 3 Significant Unobservable Inputs | |
Common Stocks* | $ 298,085,180 | $ 298,085,180 | $ — | $ — |
Real Estate Investment Trusts* | 10,306,650 | 10,306,650 | — | — |
Common Stocks - Business Development Companies* | 2,856,600 | 2,856,600 | — | — |
Exchange-Traded Funds* | 1,578,900 | 1,578,900 | — | — |
Convertible Preferred Securities* | 5,047,180 | 5,047,180 | — | — |
Total Investments | $ 317,874,510 | $ 317,874,510 | $— | $— |
LIABILITIES TABLE | ||||
Total Value at 3/31/2018 | Level 1 Quoted Prices | Level 2 Significant Observable Inputs | Level 3 Significant Unobservable Inputs | |
Call Options Written | $ (890,245) | $ (890,245) | $ — | $ — |
* | See Portfolio of Investments for industry breakout. |
1) | the type of security; |
2) | the size of the holding; |
3) | the initial cost of the security; |
4) | transactions in comparable securities; |
5) | price quotes from dealers and/or third-party pricing services; |
6) | relationships among various securities; |
7) | information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, or the appropriate stock exchange; |
8) | an analysis of the issuer’s financial statements; and |
9) | the existence of merger proposals or tender offers that might affect the value of the security. |
• | Level 1 – Level 1 inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical investments. An active market is a market in which transactions for the investment occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. |
• | Level 2 – Level 2 inputs are observable inputs, either directly or indirectly, and include the following: |
o | Quoted prices for similar investments in active markets. |
o | Quoted prices for identical or similar investments in markets that are non-active. A non-active market is a market where there are few transactions for the investment, the prices are not current, or price quotations vary substantially either over time or among market makers, or in which little information is released publicly. |
o | Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the investment (for example, interest rates and yield curves observable at commonly quoted intervals, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks, and default rates). |
o | Inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means. |
• | Level 3 – Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs. Unobservable inputs may reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the investment. |
Item 2. 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 last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
Item 3. Exhibits.
Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the 1940 Act and Section 302 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) | First Trust Enhanced Equity Income Fund |
By (Signature and Title)* | /s/ James M. Dykas | |||
James M. Dykas, President and Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) |
Date | May 23, 2018 |
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/ James M. Dykas | |||
James M. Dykas, President and Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) |
Date | May 23, 2018 |
By (Signature and Title)* | /s/ Donald P. Swade | |||
Donald P. Swade, Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer (principal financial officer) |
Date | May 23, 2018 |
* Print the name and title of each signing officer under his or her signature.