BlackRock Core Bond Trust (BHK) Announces Results of its Over-subscribed Rights Offering

By: BlackRock Closed-End Funds via Business Wire

June 20, 2025 at 08:00 AM EDT

BlackRock Core Bond Trust (NYSE: BHK) (the "Fund") today announced the successful completion of its transferable rights offer (the “Offer”) which expired on June 18, 2025 (the “Expiration Date”). The Offer entitled rights holders to subscribe for up to an aggregate of 18,056,056 shares of the Fund’s common shares of beneficial interest, par value of $0.001 per share (each, a “Common Share”). The final subscription price of $9.22 per Common Share was determined based upon the formula equal to 95% of the average of the last reported sales price per Common Share on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") on the Expiration Date and each of the four (4) immediately preceding trading days.

As a result of high investor demand, the Offer was over-subscribed, and the Fund will exercise the over-subscription privilege. Pursuant to the over-subscription privilege, shareholders of the Fund as of May 27, 2025 (the “Record Date”) who fully exercised all rights issued to them were able to subscribe at the price indicated above, subject to certain limitations and allotment, for any additional Common Shares which were not subscribed for by other holders of rights. The shares subscribed for pursuant to the over-subscription privilege of the Offer will be allocated pro-rata among those fully exercising Record Date shareholders who over-subscribed based on the number of rights originally issued to them by the Fund. The Fund will return to those investors that submitted over-subscription requests the full amount of their excess payments as soon as practicable.

"We are very pleased with the results of the BHK rights offering. We continue to see resilient fundamentals in the market, attractive yields, and the potential for lower financing costs in the coming quarters, increasing income to our shareholders. We look forward to putting more cash to work and to continue seeking to provide stable monthly income for our shareholders.” – Scott MacLellan, Portfolio Manager for the Fund.

The Offer is expected to result in the issuance of more than 18.0 million Common Shares (including Common Shares subscribed pursuant to the over-subscription privilege and notices of guaranteed delivery), resulting in anticipated proceeds to the Fund of approximately $166 million. The Fund will receive the entire proceeds of the Offer since BlackRock Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, has agreed to pay all expenses related to the Offer. The Fund intends to invest the proceeds of the Offer in accordance with its investment objective and policies.

Shares issued pursuant to the Offer will be entitled to receive the monthly distribution expected to be payable in July.

The information in this press release is not complete and is subject to change. This document is not an offer to sell any securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. This document is not an offering, which can only be made by a prospectus. Investors should consider the Fund’s investment objective, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The Fund’s prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus will contain this and additional information about the Fund and additional information about the Offer, and should be read carefully before investing.

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Availability of Fund Updates

BlackRock will update performance and certain other data for the Fund on a monthly basis on its website in the “Closed-end Funds” section of www.blackrock.com as well as certain other material information as necessary from time to time. Investors and others are advised to check the website for updated performance information and the release of other material information about the Fund. This reference to BlackRock’s website is intended to allow investors public access to information regarding the Fund and does not, and is not intended to, incorporate BlackRock’s website in this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release, and other statements that BlackRock or the Fund may make, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, with respect to the Fund’s or BlackRock’s future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as “trend,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “pipeline,” “believe,” “comfortable,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “current,” “intention,” “estimate,” “position,” “assume,” “outlook,” “continue,” “remain,” “maintain,” “sustain,” “seek,” “achieve,” and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or similar expressions.

BlackRock cautions that forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and BlackRock assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements and future results could differ materially from historical performance.

With respect to the Fund, the following factors, among others, could cause actual events to differ materially from forward-looking statements or historical performance: (1) changes and volatility in political, economic or industry conditions, the interest rate environment, foreign exchange rates or financial and capital markets, which could result in changes in demand for the Fund or in the Fund’s net asset value; (2) the relative and absolute investment performance of the Fund and its investments; (3) the impact of increased competition; (4) the unfavorable resolution of any legal proceedings; (5) the extent and timing of any distributions or share repurchases; (6) the impact, extent and timing of technological changes; (7) the impact of legislative and regulatory actions and reforms, and regulatory, supervisory or enforcement actions of government agencies relating to the Fund or BlackRock, as applicable; (8) terrorist activities, international hostilities, health epidemics and/or pandemics and natural disasters, which may adversely affect the general economy, domestic and local financial and capital markets, specific industries or BlackRock; (9) BlackRock’s ability to attract and retain highly talented professionals; (10) the impact of BlackRock electing to provide support to its products from time to time; and (11) the impact of problems at other financial institutions or the failure or negative performance of products at other financial institutions.

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports and other regulatory filings of the Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and on BlackRock’s website at www.blackrock.com, and may discuss these or other factors that affect the Fund. The information contained on BlackRock’s website is not a part of this press release.