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 811-21549

First Trust Energy Income and Growth Fund
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

10 Westport Road, Suite C101a
Wilton, CT 06897
(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: November 30

Date of reporting period: February 28, 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.

 

First Trust Energy Income and Growth Fund (FEN)
Portfolio of Investments
February 28, 2018 (Unaudited)
Shares/
Units
  Description   Value
 MASTER LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS – 88.3%       
    Chemicals – 0.2%    
49,000  
Westlake Chemical Partners, L.P. (a)

  $1,104,950
    Gas Utilities – 5.4%    
547,181  
AmeriGas Partners, L.P. (a)

  22,948,771
75,000  
Suburban Propane Partners, L.P.

  1,732,500
        24,681,271
    Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers – 3.7%    
426,311  
NextEra Energy Partners, L.P. (a) (b)

  16,728,444
    Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels – 79.0%    
198,401  
Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (a)

  5,053,273
617,244  
Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (a)

  10,986,943
184,074  
BP Midstream Partners, L.P. (a)

  3,508,450
132,000  
Buckeye Partners, L.P. (a)

  5,913,600
62,100  
Dominion Energy Midstream Partners, L.P. (a)

  1,564,920
3,495,261  
Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. (a)

  43,725,715
3,091,006  
Enterprise Products Partners, L.P. (a)

  78,573,373
428,900  
EQT Midstream Partners, L.P. (a)

  26,385,928
912,747  
Holly Energy Partners, L.P. (a)

  26,834,762
775,254  
Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (a)

  48,422,365
153,000  
Phillips 66 Partners, L.P. (a)

  7,518,420
129,700  
Shell Midstream Partners, L.P. (a)

  3,119,285
881,851  
Spectra Energy Partners, L.P. (a)

  34,647,926
792,806  
TC PipeLines, L.P. (a)

  38,950,559
89,126  
TransMontaigne Partners, L.P. (a)

  3,181,798
42,000  
Valero Energy Partners, L.P.

  1,618,260
568,010  
Williams Partners, L.P. (a)

  20,584,682
        360,590,259
   
Total Master Limited Partnerships

  403,104,924
    (Cost $248,181,270)    
 COMMON STOCKS – 54.4%       
    Electric Utilities – 12.5%    
58,000  
American Electric Power Co., Inc. (c)

  3,803,640
102,100  
Duke Energy Corp. (a)

  7,692,214
151,100  
Emera, Inc. (CAD) (a)

  4,876,131
31,000  
Eversource Energy

  1,767,000
603,900  
Exelon Corp. (c)

  22,368,456
50,000  
Hydro One Ltd. (CAD) (a) (d)

  800,732
33,800  
NextEra Energy, Inc. (c)

  5,142,670
122,000  
PPL Corp.

  3,495,300
118,000  
Southern (The) Co. (c)

  5,081,080
44,600  
Xcel Energy, Inc.

  1,930,288
        56,957,511
    Gas Utilities – 1.0%    
9,300  
Atmos Energy Corp. (a)

  748,557
3,699  
Chesapeake Utilities Corp. (a)

  246,539
85,500  
UGI Corp. (c)

  3,684,195
        4,679,291
    Multi-Utilities – 7.2%    
90,300  
CMS Energy Corp. (a)

  3,833,235
175,300  
National Grid PLC, ADR (c)

  9,043,727
218,999  
Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (c)

  10,606,122
See Notes to Portfolio of Investments

First Trust Energy Income and Growth Fund (FEN)
Portfolio of Investments (Continued)
February 28, 2018 (Unaudited)
Shares/
Units
 Description Value
 COMMON STOCKS (Continued)        
    Multi-Utilities (Continued)    
68,000  
Sempra Energy (c)

  $7,410,640
30,000  
WEC Energy Group, Inc.

  1,797,600
        32,691,324
    Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels – 33.7%    
588,700  
Enbridge Income Fund Holdings, Inc. (CAD) (a)

  12,354,809
360,600  
Enbridge, Inc. (c)

  11,474,292
333,000  
Inter Pipeline, Ltd. (CAD) (a)

  5,789,612
128,060  
Keyera Corp. (CAD) (a)

  3,263,374
1,725,855  
Kinder Morgan, Inc. (c)

  27,958,851
609,784  
ONEOK, Inc. (a) (c)

  34,349,133
122,700  
Targa Resources Corp.

  5,478,555
598,571  
TransCanada Corp. (c)

  25,870,239
978,073  
Williams (The) Cos., Inc. (c)

  27,151,306
        153,690,171
   
Total Common Stocks

  248,018,297
    (Cost $242,633,339)    
 REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS – 0.7%       
    Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts – 0.7%    
43,136  
CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust, Inc. (a)

  1,547,288
81,300  
InfraREIT, Inc. (a)

  1,515,432
   
Total Real Estate Investment Trusts

  3,062,720
    (Cost $3,019,724)    
   
Total Investments – 143.4%

  654,185,941
    (Cost $493,834,333) (e)    
    
Number of Contracts   Description   Notional Amount   Exercise Price   Expiration Date   Value
CALL OPTIONS WRITTEN – (0.3)%
500  
American Electric Power Co., Inc.

  $3,279,000   $70.00   Apr 2018   (22,500)
500  
Enbridge, Inc.

  1,591,000   37.50   Apr 2018   (5,000)
3,100  
Enbridge, Inc.

  9,864,200   42.50   Jul 2018   (15,500)
600  
Exelon Corp.

  2,222,400   40.00   Mar 2018   (3,000)
1,600  
Exelon Corp.

  5,926,400   39.00   Apr 2018   (73,600)
3,800  
Exelon Corp.

  14,075,200   40.00   Apr 2018   (76,000)
5,000  
Kinder Morgan, Inc.

  8,100,000   19.00   Mar 2018   (10,000)
2,500  
Kinder Morgan, Inc.

  4,050,000   21.00   Mar 2018   (2,500)
2,000  
Kinder Morgan, Inc.

  3,240,000   19.00   Sep 2018   (72,000)
300  
National Grid PLC (f)

  1,547,700   70.00   Mar 2018   (1,500)
330  
NextEra Energy, Inc.

  5,020,950   165.00   Mar 2018   (1,650)
1,000  
ONEOK, Inc.

  5,633,000   55.00   Apr 2018   (410,000)
3,400  
ONEOK, Inc.

  19,152,200   62.50   Apr 2018   (136,000)
2,100  
Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (f)

  10,170,300   55.00   Mar 2018   (21,000)
600  
Sempra Energy

  6,538,800   115.00   Jul 2018   (156,000)
300  
Southern (The) Co.

  1,291,800   46.00   May 2018   (12,600)
800  
Southern (The) Co.

  3,444,800   47.00   May 2018   (28,800)
1,400  
TransCanada Corp.

  6,050,800   50.00   Aug 2018   (42,000)
800  
UGI Corp. (f)

  3,447,200   50.00   Apr 2018   (24,000)
1,100  
Williams (The) Cos., Inc. (f)

  3,053,600   35.00   Mar 2018   (2,200)
200  
Williams (The) Cos., Inc. (f)

  555,200   35.00   Apr 2018   (1,400)
See Notes to Portfolio of Investments

First Trust Energy Income and Growth Fund (FEN)
Portfolio of Investments (Continued)
February 28, 2018 (Unaudited)
Number of Contracts   Description   Notional Amount   Exercise Price   Expiration Date   Value
CALL OPTIONS WRITTEN (Continued)
2,000  
Williams (The) Cos., Inc.

  $5,552,000   $31.00   May 2018   $(53,000)
   
Total Call Options Written

  (1,170,250)
    (Premiums received $1,931,009)                
    
 
Outstanding Loan – (36.7)%

 (167,500,000)
 
Net Other Assets and Liabilities – (6.4)%

 (29,186,423)
 
Net Assets – 100.0%

 $456,329,268
    

(a) All or a portion of this security serves as collateral on the outstanding loan.
(b) NextEra Energy Partners, L.P. is taxed as a “C” corporation for federal income tax purposes.
(c) All or a portion of these securities’ positions represent covers for outstanding options written.
(d) This security is restricted in the U.S. and cannot be offered for public sale without first being registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This security is not restricted on the foreign exchange where it trades freely without any additional registration. As such, it does not require the additional disclosure required of restricted securities.
(e) Aggregate cost for federal income tax purposes was $413,879,606. As of February 28, 2018, the aggregate gross unrealized appreciation for all investments in which there was an excess of value over tax cost was $253,535,774 and the aggregate gross unrealized depreciation for all investments in which there was an excess of tax cost over value was $14,399,689. The net unrealized appreciation was $239,136,085. The amounts presented are inclusive of derivative contracts.
(f) This investment is fair valued by the Advisor’s Pricing Committee in accordance with procedures adopted by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, and in accordance with the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. At February 28, 2018, investments noted as such are valued at $(50,100) or (0.0)% of net assets.
    
ADR American Depositary Receipt
CAD Canadian Dollar - Security is denominated in Canadian Dollars and is translated into U.S. Dollars based upon the current exchange rate.

Valuation Inputs
A summary of the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of February 28, 2018 is as follows (see Note 2A - Portfolio Valuation in the Notes to Portfolio of Investments):
ASSETS TABLE
  Total
Value at
2/28/2018
Level 1
Quoted
Prices
Level 2
Significant
Observable
Inputs
Level 3
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
Master Limited Partnerships*

$403,104,924 $403,104,924 $$
Common Stocks*

248,018,297 248,018,297
Real Estate Investment Trusts*

3,062,720 3,062,720
Total Investments

$654,185,941 $654,185,941 $$
LIABILITIES TABLE
  Total
Value at
2/28/2018
Level 1
Quoted
Prices
Level 2
Significant
Observable
Inputs
Level 3
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
Call Options Written

$(1,170,250) $(869,150) $(301,100) $
    
* See Portfolio of Investments for industry breakout.
All transfers in and out of the Levels during the period are assumed to occur on the last day of the period at their current value. There were no transfers between Levels at February 28, 2018.
See Notes to Portfolio of Investments

Notes to Portfolio of Investments
First Trust Energy Income and Growth Fund (FEN)
February 28, 2018 (Unaudited)
1. Organization
First Trust Energy Income and Growth Fund (the “Fund”) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust on March 25, 2004, and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund trades under the ticker symbol FEN on the NYSE MKT.
The Fund is considered an investment company and follows accounting and reporting guidance under Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, “Financial Services-Investment Companies.”
2. Valuation and Investment Practices
A. Portfolio Valuation
The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Common Shares of the Fund is determined daily as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, on each day the NYSE is open for trading. If the NYSE closes early on a valuation day, the NAV is determined as of that time. Foreign securities are priced using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. The Fund’s NAV per Common Share is calculated by dividing the value of all assets of the Fund (including accrued interest and dividends), less all liabilities (including accrued expenses, dividends declared but unpaid, deferred income taxes and any borrowings of the Fund), by the total number of Common Shares outstanding.
The Fund’s investments are valued daily at market value or, in the absence of market value with respect to any portfolio securities, at fair value. Market value prices represent last sale or official closing prices from a national or foreign exchange (i.e., a regulated market) and are primarily obtained from third-party pricing services. Fair value prices represent any prices not considered market value prices and are either obtained from a third-party pricing service or are determined by the Pricing Committee of the Fund’s investment advisor, First Trust Advisors L.P. (“First Trust” or the “Advisor”), in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, and in accordance with provisions of the 1940 Act. Investments valued by the Advisor’s Pricing Committee, if any, are footnoted as such in the footnotes to the Portfolio of Investments. The Fund’s investments are valued as follows:
Common stocks, master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), real estate investment trusts and other equity securities listed on any national or foreign exchange (excluding The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) and the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market (“AIM”)) are valued at the last sale price on the exchange on which they are principally traded or, for Nasdaq and AIM securities, the official closing price. Securities traded on more than one securities exchange are valued at the last sale price or official closing price, as applicable, at the close of the securities exchange representing the principal market for such securities.
Exchange-traded options contracts are valued at the closing price in the market where such contracts are principally traded. If no closing price is available, exchange-traded options contracts are fair valued at the mean of their most recent bid and asked price, if available, and otherwise at their closing bid price. Over-the-counter options contracts are fair valued at the mean of their most recent bid and asked price, if available, and otherwise at their closing bid price.
Securities traded in an over-the-counter market are fair valued at the mean of their most recent bid and asked price, if available, and otherwise at their closing bid price.
Certain securities may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Fund’s Board of Trustees or its delegate, the Advisor’s Pricing Committee, at fair value. These securities generally include, but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) for which a third-party pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose market or fair value price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of the Fund’s NAV or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the third-party pricing service, does not reflect the security’s fair value. As a general principle, the current fair value of a security would appear to be the amount which the owner might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon its current sale. When fair value prices are used, generally they will differ from market quotations or official closing prices on the applicable exchanges. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities, including, but not limited to, the following:
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;

Notes to Portfolio of Investments (Continued)
First Trust Energy Income and Growth Fund (FEN)
February 28, 2018 (Unaudited)
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.
If the securities in question are foreign securities, the following additional information may be considered:
1) the value of similar foreign securities traded on other foreign markets;
2) ADR trading of similar securities;
3) closed-end fund trading of similar securities;
4) foreign currency exchange activity;
5) the trading prices of financial products that are tied to baskets of foreign securities;
6) factors relating to the event that precipitated the pricing problem;
7) whether the event is likely to recur; and
8) whether the effects of the event are isolated or whether they affect entire markets, countries or regions.
The Fund is subject to fair value accounting standards that define fair value, establish the framework for measuring fair value and provide a three-level hierarchy for fair valuation based upon the inputs to the valuation as of the measurement date. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:
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.
The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those investments. A summary of the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of February 28, 2018, is included with the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
B. Option Contracts
The Fund is subject to equity price risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objective and may write (sell) options to hedge against changes in the value of equities. Also, the Fund seeks to generate additional income, in the form of premiums received, from writing (selling) the options. The Fund may write (sell) covered call or put options (“options”) on all or a portion of the common stock and MLPs held in the Fund’s portfolio as determined to be appropriate by Energy Income Partners, LLC (“EIP” or the “Sub-Advisor”). The number of options the Fund can write (sell) is limited by the amount of common stock and MLPs the Fund holds in its portfolio. The Fund will not write (sell) “naked” or uncovered options. Options are marked-to-market daily and their value will be affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the underlying equity securities, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the securities markets and the underlying equity securities and the remaining time to the options’ expiration. The value of options may also be adversely affected if the market for the options becomes less liquid or trading volume diminishes.
The options that the Fund writes (sells) will either be exercised, expire or be cancelled pursuant to a closing transaction. If the price of the underlying equity security exceeds the option’s exercise price, it is likely that the option holder will exercise the option. If an option written (sold) by the Fund is exercised, the Fund would be obligated to deliver the underlying security to the option holder upon payment of the strike price. In this case, the option premium received by the Fund will be added to the amount realized on the sale of the underlying security for purposes of determining gain or loss. If the price of the underlying security is less than the option’s strike

Notes to Portfolio of Investments (Continued)
First Trust Energy Income and Growth Fund (FEN)
February 28, 2018 (Unaudited)
price, the option will likely expire without being exercised. The option premium received by the Fund will, in this case, be treated as short-term capital gain on the expiration date of the option. The Fund may also elect to close out its position in an option prior to its expiration by purchasing an option of the same series as the option written (sold) by the Fund.
The options that the Fund writes (sells) give the option holder the right, but not the obligation, to purchase a security from the Fund at the strike price on or prior to the option’s expiration date. The ability to successfully implement the writing (selling) of covered call options depends on the ability of the Sub-Advisor to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. Thus, the use of options may require the Fund to sell portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices other than current market value, which may limit the amount of appreciation the Fund can realize on an investment, or may cause the Fund to hold a security that it might otherwise sell. As the writer (seller) of a covered option, the Fund foregoes, during the option’s life, the opportunity to profit from increases in the market value of the security covering the option above the sum of the premium and the strike price of the option, but has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. The writer (seller) of an option has no control over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer (seller) of the option. Once an option writer (seller) has received an exercise notice, it cannot effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its obligation under the option and must deliver the underlying security to the option holder at the exercise price.
Over-the-counter options have the risk of the potential inability of counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts. The Fund’s maximum equity price risk for purchased options is limited to the premium initially paid. In addition, certain risks may arise upon entering into option contracts including the risk that an illiquid secondary market will limit the Fund’s ability to close out an option contract prior to the expiration date and that a change in the value of the option contract may not correlate exactly with changes in the value of the securities hedged.
C. Securities Transactions
Securities transactions are recorded as of the trade date. Realized gains and losses from securities transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis.
D. Foreign Currency
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 the exchange rates prevailing at the end of the period. Purchases and sales of investments and items of income and expense are translated on the respective dates of such transactions.
3. Derivative Transactions
During the fiscal year-to-date period (December 1, 2017 through February 28, 2018), the premiums for written options opened were $2,005,268, and the premiums for written options closed, exercised and expired were $1,767,003.
 

 

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 Energy Income and Growth Fund

   

 

By (Signature and Title)* /s/ James M. Dykas    
  James M. Dykas, President and Chief Executive Officer
(principal executive officer)
   

Date:April 26, 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:April 26, 2018

 

By (Signature and Title)* /s/ Donald P. Swade    
  Donald P. Swade, Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer
and Chief Accounting Officer
(principal financial officer)
   
Date:April 26, 2018

* Print the name and title of each signing officer under his or her signature.