3 Investment Adviser Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates
The investment adviser fee is earned by Eaton Vance Management (EVM), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, as compensation for investment advisory services rendered to the Fund. The fee is computed at an annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily gross assets, as defined in the investment advisory agreement, and is payable monthly. Gross assets as referred to herein represent net assets plus obligations attributable to investment leverage. During the six months ended March 31, 2023, the Fund had no obligations attributable to investment leverage. For the six months ended March 31, 2023, the Fund’s investment adviser fee amounted to $3,055,919. The Fund may invest in a money market fund, the Institutional Class of the Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds - Government Portfolio (the "Liquidity Fund"), an open-end management investment company managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley. The investment adviser fee paid by the Fund is reduced by an amount equal to its pro-rata share of the advisory and administration fees paid by the Fund due to its investment in the Liquidity Fund. For the six months ended March 31, 2023, the investment adviser fee paid was reduced by $4,156 relating to the Fund’s investment in the Liquidity Fund. EVM also serves as administrator of the Fund, but receives no compensation.
Trustees and officers of the Fund who are members of EVM’s organization receive remuneration for their services to the Fund out of the investment adviser fee. Trustees of the Fund who are not affiliated with EVM may elect to defer receipt of all or a percentage of their annual fees in accordance with the terms of the Trustees Deferred Compensation Plan. For the six months ended March 31, 2023, no significant amounts have been deferred. Certain officers and Trustees of the Fund are officers of EVM.
4 Purchases and Sales of Investments
Purchases and sales of investments, other than short-term obligations, aggregated $168,176,488 and $190,545,334, respectively, for the six months ended March 31, 2023.
5 Common Shares of Beneficial Interest and Shelf Offering
Common shares issued by the Fund pursuant to its dividend reinvestment plan for the six months ended March 31, 2023 and the year ended September 30, 2022 were 65,879 and 69,800, respectively.
In August 2012, the Board of Trustees initially approved a share repurchase program for the Fund. Pursuant to the reauthorization of the share repurchase program by the Board of Trustees in March 2019, the Fund is authorized to repurchase up to 10% of its common shares outstanding as of the last day of the prior calendar year at market prices when shares are trading at a discount to net asset value. The share repurchase program does not obligate the Fund to purchase a specific amount of shares. There were no repurchases of common shares by the Fund for the six months ended March 31, 2023 and the year ended September 30, 2022.
Pursuant to a registration statement filed with the SEC, the Fund is authorized to issue up to an additional 2,942,268 common shares through an equity shelf offering program (the “shelf offering”). Under the shelf offering, the Fund, subject to market conditions, may raise additional capital from time to time and in varying amounts and offering methods at a net price at or above the Fund’s net asset value per common share. During the six months ended March 31, 2023 and the year ended September 30, 2022, the Fund sold 135,911 and 696,399 common shares, respectively, and received proceeds (net of offering costs) of $2,134,843 and $13,192,291, respectively, through its shelf offering. The net proceeds in excess of the net asset value of the shares sold were $55,245 for the six months ended March 31, 2023 and $293,971 for the year ended September 30, 2022. Offering costs (other than the applicable sales commissions) incurred in connection with the shelf offering were borne directly by EVM. Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. (EVD), an affiliate of EVM, is the distributor of the Fund’s shares and is entitled to receive a sales commission from the Fund of 1.00% of the gross sales price per share, a portion of which is re-allowed to sales agents. The Fund was informed that the sales commissions retained by EVD during the six months ended March 31, 2023 and the year ended September 30, 2022 were $4,313 and $26,651, respectively.
6 Financial Instruments
The Fund may trade in financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of its investing activities. These financial instruments may include written options and may involve, to a varying degree, elements of risk in excess of the amounts recognized for financial statement purposes. The notional or contractual amounts of these instruments represent the investment the Fund has in particular classes of financial instruments and do not necessarily represent the amounts potentially subject to risk. The measurement of the risks associated with these instruments is meaningful only when all related and offsetting transactions are considered. A summary of obligations under these financial instruments at March 31, 2023 is included in the Portfolio of Investments. At March 31, 2023, the Fund had sufficient cash and/or securities to cover commitments under these contracts.
The Fund is subject to equity price risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives. The Fund writes covered call options on individual stocks above the current value of the stock to generate premium income. In writing call options on individual stocks, the Fund in effect sells potential appreciation in the value of the applicable stock above the exercise price in exchange for the option premium received. The Fund retains the risk of loss, minus the premium received, should the price of the underlying stock decline.