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 811-22039

First Trust Specialty Finance and Financial Opportunities 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: 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 Specialty Finance and Financial Opportunities Fund (FGB)
Portfolio of Investments
February 28, 2018 (Unaudited)
Shares   Description   Value
 COMMON STOCKS – BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
COMPANIES - 116.5%       
    Capital Markets – 116.5%    
172,787   Alcentra Capital Corp. (a)   $1,290,719
551,102   Apollo Investment Corp. (a)   2,887,774
772,412   Ares Capital Corp. (a)   12,196,386
900   BlackRock Capital Investment Corp.   4,959
130,340   CM Finance, Inc. (a)   1,055,754
10,000   Corporate Capital Trust, Inc. (a)   155,100
310,300   FS Investment Corp. (a)   2,203,130
53,063   Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc. (a)   1,020,932
429,730   Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (a)   7,700,762
16,699   Harvest Capital Credit Corp. (a)   180,683
574,598   Hercules Capital, Inc. (a)   6,923,906
340,472   KCAP Financial, Inc. (a)   1,007,797
49,107   Main Street Capital Corp. (a)   1,747,718
586,714   Medley Capital Corp. (a)   2,428,996
577,564   New Mountain Finance Corp. (a)   7,306,185
202,084   OFS Capital Corp. (a)   2,293,653
82,645   PennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd.   1,031,410
755,081   PennantPark Investment Corp. (a)   5,247,813
295,709   Solar Capital Ltd.   6,002,893
24,013   Solar Senior Capital Ltd. (a)   397,175
340,126   Stellus Capital Investment Corp. (a)   3,887,640
501,863   TCP Capital Corp. (a)   7,156,566
747,618   THL Credit, Inc. (a)   6,205,229
206,751   TPG Specialty Lending, Inc. (a)   3,729,788
366,594   Triangle Capital Corp. (a)   3,973,879
473,845   TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. (a)   5,449,218
    Total Common Stocks - Business Development Companies   93,486,065
    (Cost $110,177,592)    
 REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS – 14.5%       
    Mortgage Real Estate
Investment Trusts – 14.5% 		   
481,782   Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (a)   4,832,273
108,500   Capstead Mortgage Corp. (a)   905,975
929,380   CYS Investments, Inc. (a)   5,873,682
    Total Real Estate Investment Trusts   11,611,930
    (Cost $17,648,926)    
    Total Investments – 131.0%   105,097,995
    (Cost $127,826,518) (b)    
    Outstanding Loan – (31.2)%   (25,000,000)
    Net Other Assets and Liabilities – 0.2%   134,282
    Net Assets – 100.0%   $80,232,277
    
(a) All or a portion of this security serves as collateral on the outstanding loan.
(b) Aggregate cost for financial reporting purposes approximates the aggregate cost for federal income tax purposes. 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 $4,975,939 and the aggregate gross unrealized depreciation for all investments in which there was an excess of tax cost over value was $27,704,462. The net unrealized depreciation was $22,728,523.
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):
  Total
Value at
2/28/2018 		Level 1
Quoted
Prices 		Level 2
Significant
Observable
Inputs 		Level 3
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
Common Stocks - Business Development Companies* $ 93,486,065 $ 93,486,065 $ — $ —
Real Estate Investment Trusts*  11,611,930  11,611,930  —  —
Total Investments $ 105,097,995 $ 105,097,995 $— $—
    
* 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 Specialty Finance and Financial Opportunities Fund (FGB)
February 28, 2018 (Unaudited)
1. Organization
First Trust Specialty Finance and Financial Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust on March 20, 2007, 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 FGB on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”).
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 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 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, 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.
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;
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.
Notes to Portfolio of Investments (Continued)
First Trust Specialty Finance and Financial Opportunities Fund (FGB)
February 28, 2018 (Unaudited)
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. 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.

 

 

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 Specialty Finance and Financial Opportunities Fund

    

 

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

Date:April 19, 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 19, 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 19, 2018

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