UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-02809 and 811-10095

Name of Fund: BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

Fund Address: 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19809

Name and address of agent for service: John M. Perlowski, Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock Advantage U.S.

Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC, 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055

Registrants’ telephone number, including area code: (800) 441-7762

Date of fiscal year end: 03/31/2020

Date of reporting period: 03/31/2020


Item 1 –

Report to Stockholders


 

LOGO   MARCH 31, 2020

 

  

2020 Annual Report

 

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

 

 

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Fund’s shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from BlackRock or from your financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you hold accounts directly with BlackRock, you can call (800) 441-7762 to inform BlackRock that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports. If you hold accounts through a financial intermediary, you can follow the instructions included with this disclosure, if applicable, or contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. Please note that not all financial intermediaries may offer this service. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds advised by BlackRock Advisors, LLC, BlackRock Fund Advisors or their affiliates, or all funds held with your financial intermediary, as applicable.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive electronic delivery of shareholder reports and other communications by: (i) accessing the BlackRock website at blackrock.com/edelivery and logging into your accounts, if you hold accounts directly with BlackRock, or (ii) contacting your financial intermediary, if you hold accounts through a financial intermediary. Please note that not all financial intermediaries may offer this service.

 

Not FDIC Insured • May Lose Value • No Bank Guarantee


The Markets in Review

Dear Shareholder,

The last 12 months have been a time of sudden change in global financial markets, as a long period of growth and positive returns was interrupted in early 2020 by the emergence and spread of the coronavirus. For much of the reporting period, U.S. equities and bonds both delivered impressive returns, despite fears and doubts about the economy that were ultimately laid to rest with unprecedented monetary stimulus and a sluggish yet resolute performance from the U.S. economy. But as the threat from the coronavirus became more apparent throughout February and March 2020, leading countries around the world took economically disruptive countermeasures, causing equity prices to fall sharply. Now that the virus has spread around the globe and an economic downturn appears inevitable, investors are faced with the question of how long and how deep it will be.

Returns for most securities were robust for the first ten months of the reporting period, as investors began to realize that the U.S. economy was maintaining the modest yet steady growth that had characterized this economic cycle. However, once stay-at-home orders and closures of non-essential businesses became widespread, many workers were laid off and unemployment claims spiked. With large portions of the economy on hold, all types of equities, both in the United States and internationally, ended the reporting period with negative performance.

The performance of different types of fixed-income securities diverged substantially due to a reduced investor appetite for risk. Treasuries benefited from the risk-off environment, and posted healthy returns, as the 10-year yield (which is inversely related to bond prices) fell to an all-time low. Investment-grade corporate bonds also delivered a positive return, while high-yield corporates were down due to credit concerns.

The U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) reduced interest rates three times in 2019, to support slowing economic growth. After the coronavirus outbreak, the Fed instituted two emergency rate cuts, pushing short-term interest rates close to zero. To stabilize credit markets, the Fed also announced a new bond-buying program, as did several other central banks around the world, including the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan.

Looking ahead, while coronavirus-related disruption is certain to hurt worldwide economic growth, the global expansion is likely to continue once the impact of the outbreak subsides. For the near term, however, the disruption is likely to act as a further drag on corporate earnings, following flat earnings growth in 2019. Nonetheless, there are promising signs that a strong coordinated monetary and fiscal response is beginning to take place, both in the United States and abroad. With measures being taken to contain the virus and provide support to impacted businesses and individuals, we anticipate a sharp increase in economic activity as life returns to normal.

Overall, we favor a neutral stance toward risk, given the uncertainty surrounding the economic impact of coronavirus countermeasures. Among equities, we see an advantage in U.S. stocks compared to other developed markets, given the diversity of the U.S. economy and the impressive scope of monetary and fiscal stimulus. In bonds, the swift action taken by the world’s central banks means there are attractive opportunities in credit, and we expect credit spreads to narrow as markets stabilize.

In this environment, investors need to think globally, extend their scope across a broad array of asset classes, and be nimble as market conditions change. We encourage you to talk with your financial advisor and visit blackrock.com for further insight about investing in today’s markets.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Rob Kapito

President, BlackRock Advisors, LLC

LOGO

Rob Kapito

President, BlackRock Advisors, LLC

 

Total Returns as of March 31, 2020
    

6-month

  12-month

U.S. large cap equities
(S&P 500® Index)

  (12.31)%   (6.98)%

U.S. small cap equities
(Russell 2000® Index)

  (23.72)   (23.99)

International equities
(MSCI Europe, Australasia, Far East Index)

  (16.52)   (14.38)

Emerging market equities
(MSCI Emerging Markets Index)

  (14.55)   (17.69)

3-month Treasury bills
(ICE BofAML 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index)

  1.04   2.25

U.S. Treasury securities
(ICE BofAML 10-Year U.S. Treasury Index)

  9.95   18.25

U.S. investment grade bonds
(Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index)

  3.33   8.93

Tax-exempt municipal bonds
(S&P Municipal Bond Index)

  0.07   3.78

U.S. high yield bonds
(Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Capped Index)

  (10.40)   (6.94)
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Index performance is shown for illustrative purposes only. You cannot invest directly in an index.
 

 

 

2    THIS PAGE IS NOT PART OF YOUR FUND REPORT


Table of Contents

 

      Page  

The Markets in Review

     2  

Annual Report:

  

Fund Summary

     4  

About Fund Performance

     6  

Disclosure of Expenses

     6  

Derivative Financial Instruments

     6  

Fund Financial Statements:

  

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

     7  

Statement of Operations

     8  

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

     9  

Fund Financial Highlights

     10  

Fund Notes to Financial Statements

     15  

Fund Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     19  

Important Tax Information

     19  

Master LLC Portfolio Information

     20  

Master LLC Financial Statements:

  

Schedule of Investments

     21  

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

     27  

Statement of Operations

     28  

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

     29  

Master LLC Financial Highlights

     29  

Master LLC Notes to Financial Statements

     30  

Master LLC Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     36  

Statement Regarding Liquidity Risk Management Program

     37  

Director and Officer Information

     38  

Additional Information

     42  

 

 

 

LOGO

 

 

          3  


Fund Summary  as of March 31, 2020    BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

 

Investment Objective

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.’s (the “Fund”) investment objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation.

Portfolio Management Commentary

How did the Fund perform?

For the 12-month period ended March 31, 2020, the Fund, through its investment in Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC (the “Master LLC”), underperformed its benchmark, the Russell 3000® Index.

What factors influenced performance?

Equity returns experienced a sharp bifurcation over last six months of the period. Initially, markets were touching new highs in a strong risk-on rally driven by excitement around a phase one trade deal between the United States and China. The anticipation of the deal and its actual resolution helped boost stocks through mid-February of 2020. However, the spread of a novel coronavirus across the globe resulted in an inflection point leading to a rapid and steep market decline. Investor concerns mounted amid broadly enforced economic shutdowns, which severely impacted expectations for growth and employment. The selloff in the first quarter of 2020 represented one of the worst quarterly returns for U.S. equities on record as volatility hit levels last observed during the global financial crisis. In response, policymakers stepped in with extraordinary fiscal and monetary packages aimed at supporting the market. While this helped equities recover some of the lost ground as the period drew to a close, it was not enough to prevent broadly negative returns for the 12-month period.

Certain macro thematic insights struggled against the rapidly evolving backdrop. Unsurprisingly, a signal that measures sector sensitivity to the Chinese economy struggled as coronavirus concerns escalated. Similarly, macro insights that look toward import costs also lagged. Within fundamental stock selection metrics, more contrarian or value-oriented insights detracted as investors focused on the long-term economic impact of shutdowns needed to stop the spread of coronavirus, which brought into question the future earnings prospects of many value-oriented cyclicals. More traditional value signals, such as comparing valuations across earnings, struggled given the backdrop. Other insights that look to measure productivity and efficient use of assets across firms also weighed on returns, as investors questioned the consistency of such measures given the strong hit to revenues from shutdowns.

Unsurprisingly, given the volatility, fundamental stock selection signals provided needed portfolio ballast. Notably, defensive measures were able to produce strong results given the sharp risk-off tone to the market. Traditional quality insights, such as those with a preference for lower volatility securities, outperformed meaningfully. Additionally, comparing regulatory filings versus press releases in order to capture potential management “spin” was a top performing signal for the period. Performance strength was also seen across less traditional quality measures, such as environmental, social and governance insights. Specifically, a recently added insight that captures an evolving investor preference for sustainability was one of the top-performing signals. Sentiment-based insights also outperformed, including signals that evaluate cross-asset class sentiment. In this vein, bond market-related measures worked well given credit spread volatility, with gains driven through successful positioning in consumer finance and mortgage real estate investment trust companies. Trend-based sentiment measures were broadly able to successfully navigate the evolving market condition, most notably through the use of alternative data sets to capture supply chain disruptions.

Describe recent portfolio activity.

Over the course of the period, the Master LLC maintained a balanced allocation of risk across all major return drivers. However, several new stock selection insights were added to the portfolio. Among these is a new signal that uses the investment adviser’s existing library of insights to create allocation models across individual stocks, building upon earlier machine-learned capabilities developed by the investment adviser. Additionally, a new insight that looks to identify trade crowding from broker concentration was added. Finally, given the dynamism of the current environment, the Master LLC has instituted enhanced signals constructed to identify emerging trends, such as “work from home.”

Describe portfolio positioning at period end.

Relative to the Russell 3000® Index, the Master LLC was positioned essentially neutrally from a sector perspective. The Master LLC had slight overweight positions in the consumer discretionary and consumer staples sectors and slight underweight positions in the real estate and materials sectors.

The views expressed reflect the opinions of BlackRock as of the date of this report and are subject to change based on changes in market, economic or other conditions. These views are not intended to be a forecast of future events and are no guarantee of future results.

 

 

4    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Fund Summary  as of March 31, 2020 (continued)    BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

 

Total Return Based on a $10,000 Investment

 

LOGO

 

(a) 

Assuming maximum sales charges, if any, transaction costs and other operating expenses, including administration fees. Institutional Shares do not have a sales charge.

(b) 

The Fund invests all of its assets in the Master LLC. Under normal circumstances, the Master LLC seeks to invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of U.S. issuers and derivatives that have similar economic characteristics to such securities. The Fund’s total returns prior to December 15, 2017 are the returns of the Fund when it followed a different investment objective and different investment strategies under the name “BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund, Inc.”

(c) 

A float-adjusted, market capitalization–weighted index of the 3,000 largest U.S. companies based on total market capitalization that represents about 98% of the investable U.S. equity market.

Performance Summary for the Period Ended March 31, 2020

 

            Average Annual Total Returns(a)(b)
            1 Year       5 Years       10 Years
     6-Month
Total Returns
       w/o sales
charge
 

    w/sales

    charge

      

w/o sales

charge

 

w/sales

charge

      

w/o sales

charge

 

w/sales

charge

Institutional

      (13.21 )%           (9.60 )%       N/A           3.38 %       N/A           8.87 %       N/A

Investor A

      (13.30 )           (9.79 )       (14.52 )%           3.13       2.03 %           8.60       8.02 %

Investor C

      (13.63 )           (10.45 )       (11.31 )           2.33       2.33           7.68       7.68

Class K

      (13.18 )           (9.53 )       N/A           3.39       N/A           8.88       N/A

Class R

      (13.39 )           (10.00 )       N/A           2.87       N/A           8.28       N/A

Russell 3000® Index

      (13.70 )                 (9.13 )       N/A                 5.77       N/A                 10.15       N/A

 

  (a) 

Assuming maximum sales charges, if any. Average annual total returns with and without sales charges reflect reductions for distribution and service fees. See “About Fund Performance” on page 6 for a detailed description of share classes, including any related sales charges and fees, and how performance was calculated for certain share classes.

 
  (b) 

The Fund invests all of its assets in the Master LLC. Under normal circumstances, the Master LLC seeks to invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of U.S. issuers and derivatives that have similar economic characteristics to such securities. The Fund’s total returns prior to December 15, 2017 are the returns of the Fund when it followed a different investment objective and different investment strategies under the name “BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund, Inc.”

 

N/A — Not applicable as share class and index do not have a sales charge.

Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Performance results may include adjustments made for financial reporting purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Expense Example

 

    Actual       Hypothetical (b)       
    

Beginning

Account Value
(10/01/19)

  

Ending
Account Value

(03/31/20)

  

Expenses Paid

During the Period (a)

       Beginning
Account Value
(10/01/19)
   Ending
Account Value
(03/31/20)
   Expenses Paid
During the Period (a)
     Annualized
Expense
Ratio

Institutional

      $1,000.00          $867.90          $2.24             $1,000.00          $1,022.60          $2.43            0.48 %

Investor A

      1,000.00          867.00          3.41             1,000.00          1,021.35          3.69            0.73

Investor C

      1,000.00          863.70          6.90             1,000.00          1,017.60          7.47            1.48

Class K

      1,000.00          868.20          2.01             1,000.00          1,022.85          2.18            0.43

Class R

      1,000.00          866.10          4.57                   1,000.00          1,020.10          4.95            0.98

 

  (a) 

For each class of the Fund, expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio for the class, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 183/366 (to reflect the one-half year period shown). Because the Fund invests all of its assets in the Master LLC, the expense example reflects the net expenses of both the Fund and the Master LLC in which it invests.

 
  (b) 

Hypothetical 5% annual return before expenses is calculated by prorating the number of days in the most recent fiscal half year divided by 366. See “Disclosure of Expenses” on page 6 for further information on how expenses were calculated.

 

 

 

FUND SUMMARY      5  


About Fund Performance    BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

 

Institutional and Class K Shares are not subject to any sales charge. These shares bear no ongoing distribution or service fees and are available only to certain eligible investors. Class K Shares performance shown prior to the Class K Shares inception date of January 25, 2018 is that of Institutional Shares. The performance of the Fund’s Class K Shares would be substantially similar to Institutional Shares because Class K Shares and Institutional Shares invest in the same portfolio of securities and performance would only differ to the extent that Class K Shares and Institutional Shares have different expenses. The actual returns of Class K Shares would have been higher than those of the Institutional Shares because Class K Shares have lower expenses than the Institutional Shares.

Investor A Shares are subject to a maximum initial sales charge (front-end load) of 5.25% and a service fee of 0.25% per year (but no distribution fee). Certain redemptions of these shares may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) where no initial sales charge was paid at the time of purchase. These shares are generally available through financial intermediaries.

Investor C Shares are subject to a 1.00% CDSC if redeemed within one year of purchase. In addition, these shares are subject to a distribution fee of 0.75% per year and a service fee of 0.25% per year. These shares are generally available through financial intermediaries. These shares automatically convert to Investor A Shares after approximately ten years.

Class R Shares are not subject to any sales charge. These shares are subject to a distribution fee of 0.25% per year and a service fee of 0.25% per year. These shares are available only to certain employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Performance information reflects past performance and does not guarantee future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. Refer to blackrock.com to obtain performance data current to the most recent month-end. Performance results do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Figures shown in the performance tables on the previous page assume reinvestment of all distributions, if any, at net asset value (“NAV”) on the ex-dividend date or payable date, as applicable. Investment return and principal value of shares will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Distributions paid to each class of shares will vary because of the different levels of service, distribution and transfer agency fees applicable to each class, which are deducted from the income available to be paid to shareholders.

BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Administrator”), the Fund’s administrator, has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse a portion of the Fund’s expenses. Without such waivers and/or reimbursements, the Fund’s performance would have been lower. With respect to the Fund’s contractual waivers, the Administrator is under no obligation to continue waiving and/or reimbursing its fees after the applicable termination date of such agreements. See Note 4 of the Notes to Financial Statements for additional information on waivers and/or reimbursements.

Disclosure of Expenses

Shareholders of the Fund may incur the following charges: (a) transactional expenses, such as sales charges; and (b) operating expenses, including administration fees, service and distribution fees, including 12b-1 fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, and other fund expenses. The expense example shown on the previous page (which is based on a hypothetical investment of $1,000 invested on October 1, 2019 and held through March 31, 2020) is intended to assist shareholders both in calculating expenses based on an investment in the Fund and in comparing these expenses with similar costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The expense example provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. In order to estimate the expenses a shareholder paid during the period covered by this report, shareholders can divide their account value by $1,000 and then multiply the result by the number corresponding to their share class under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During the Period.”

The expense example also provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses. In order to assist shareholders in comparing the ongoing expenses of investing in the Fund and other funds, compare the 5% hypothetical examples with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

The expenses shown in the expense example are intended to highlight shareholders’ ongoing costs only and do not reflect transactional expenses, such as sales charges, if any. Therefore, the hypothetical example is useful in comparing ongoing expenses only, and will not help shareholders determine the relative total expenses of owning different funds. If these transactional expenses were included, shareholder expenses would have been higher.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Master LLC may invest in various derivative financial instruments. These instruments are used to obtain exposure to a security, commodity, index, market, and/or other assets without owning or taking physical custody of securities, commodities and/or other referenced assets or to manage market, equity, credit, interest rate, foreign currency exchange rate, commodity and/or other risks. Derivative financial instruments may give rise to a form of economic leverage and involve risks, including the imperfect correlation between the value of a derivative financial instrument and the underlying asset, possible default of the counterparty to the transaction or illiquidity of the instrument. The Master LLC’s successful use of a derivative financial instrument depends on the investment adviser’s ability to predict pertinent market movements accurately, which cannot be assured. The use of these instruments may result in losses greater than if they had not been used, may limit the amount of appreciation the Master LLC can realize on an investment and/or may result in lower distributions paid to shareholders. The Master LLC’s investments in these instruments, if any, are discussed in detail in the Master LLC’s Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

6    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Statement of Assets and Liabilities

March 31, 2020

 

    BlackRock  
    Advantage  
    U.S. Total  
     Market Fund, Inc.  

ASSETS

 

Investments at value — Master LLC

  $ 291,646,339  

Receivables:

 

Capital shares sold

    227,922  

From the Administrator

    78,995  

Withdrawals from the Master LLC

    844,240  

Prepaid expenses

    41,483  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    292,838,979  
 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

 

Payables:

 

Capital shares redeemed

    1,072,162  

Officer’s fees

    131  

Other accrued expenses

    132,424  

Other affiliates

    686  

Service and distribution fees

    65,712  

Transfer agent fees

    76,258  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    1,347,373  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

  $ 291,491,606  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS CONSIST OF

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 316,024,618  

Accumulated loss

    (24,533,012
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

  $ 291,491,606  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE

 

Institutional — Based on net assets of $72,044,316 and 2,990,192 shares outstanding, 100 million shares authorized, $0.10 par value

  $ 24.09  
 

 

 

 

Investor A — Based on net assets of $188,163,917 and 8,174,126 shares outstanding, 100 million shares authorized, $0.10 par value

  $ 23.02  
 

 

 

 

Investor C — Based on net assets of $21,376,087 and 1,472,382 shares outstanding, 100 million shares authorized, $0.10 par value

  $ 14.52  
 

 

 

 

Class K — Based on net assets of $1,548,655 and 64,309 shares outstanding, 2 billion shares authorized, $0.10 par value

  $ 24.08  
 

 

 

 

Class R — Based on net assets of $8,358,631 and 501,773 shares outstanding, 100 million shares authorized, $0.10 par value

  $ 16.66  
 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

FUND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      7  


 

Statement of Operations

Year Ended March 31, 2020

 

    BlackRock  
    Advantage  
    U.S. Total  
     Market Fund, Inc.  

INVESTMENT INCOME

 

Net investment income allocated from the Master LLC:

 

Dividends — unaffiliated

  $ 7,531,292  

Dividends — affiliated

    58,448  

Interest — unaffiliated

    182  

Securities lending income — affiliated — net

    35,742  

Foreign taxes withheld

    (987

Expenses

    (2,175,947

Fees waived

    466,562  
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    5,915,292  
 

 

 

 

FUND EXPENSES

 

Service and distribution — class specific

    1,055,100  

Administration

    993,348  

Transfer agent — class specific

    557,341  

Professional

    94,921  

Registration

    77,924  

Printing

    30,299  

Accounting services

    7,002  

Officer

    248  

Miscellaneous

    15,367  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    2,831,550  
 

 

 

 

Less:

 

Fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Administrator

    (1,218,574

Transfer agent fees waived and/or reimbursed — class specific

    (358,034
 

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    1,254,942  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    4,660,350  
 

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ALLOCATED FROM THE MASTER LLC

 

Net realized gain from investments, capital gain distributions from investment companies, foreign currency transactions and futures contracts

    11,003,449  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments, foreign currency translations and futures contracts

    (42,147,877
 

 

 

 

Total realized and unrealized loss

    (31,144,428
 

 

 

 

NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS

  $ (26,484,078
 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

8    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

    BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.  
    For the Year Ended March 31,  
     2020             2019  

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS

      

OPERATIONS

      

Net investment income

  $ 4,660,350        $ 5,486,974  

Net realized gain (loss)

    11,003,449          (2,300,573

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

    (42,147,877        25,823,752  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

    (26,484,078        29,010,153  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS(a)

      

Institutional

    (2,474,052        (22,971,347

Investor A

    (6,870,694        (66,161,942

Investor C

    (1,136,201        (17,092,830

Class K

    (63,090        (577,182

Class R

    (431,408        (6,060,880
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

Decrease in net assets resulting from distributions to shareholders

    (10,975,445        (112,864,181
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS

      

Net increase (decrease) in net assets derived from capital share transactions

    (96,398,671        1,369,393  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

      

Total decrease in net assets

    (133,858,194        (82,484,635

Beginning of year

    425,349,800          507,834,435  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

End of year

  $ 291,491,606        $ 425,349,800  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

FUND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      9  


Financial Highlights

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.  
    Institutional  
    Year Ended March 31,  
     2020     2019     2018     2017     2016  

Net asset value, beginning of year

  $ 27.40     $ 32.34     $ 34.88     $ 29.38     $ 33.01  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income(a)

    0.41       0.40       0.17 (b)       0.06 (c)       0.04  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    (2.89     1.34       2.66       6.62       (2.72
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

    (2.48     1.74       2.83       6.68       (2.68
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Distributions(d)

         

From net investment income

    (0.38     (0.45     (0.09           (0.95

From net realized gain

    (0.45     (6.23     (5.28     (1.18      
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions

    (0.83     (6.68     (5.37     (1.18     (0.95
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of year

  $ 24.09     $ 27.40     $ 32.34     $ 34.88     $ 29.38  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return(e)

         

Based on net asset value

    (9.60 )%      6.76     8.48     22.72     (8.11 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(f)

         

Total expenses

    0.85 %(g)      0.98 %(g)      1.07 %(h)       0.94 %(h)       1.08 %(h)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    0.48 %(g)      0.48 %(g)      0.92 %(h)       0.94 %(h)       1.08 %(h)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income

    1.44 %(g)      1.48 %(g)      0.52 %(b)(h)      0.19 %(c)(h)      0.12 %(h)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

         

Net assets, end of year (000)

  $         72,044     $     87,248     $     113,466     $     155,558     $     135,744  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate of the Master LLC

    123     142     147     68     71
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

Net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets includes $0.06 per share and 0.20%, respectively, resulting from a special dividend.

(c) 

Net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets includes $0.03 per share and 0.08%, respectively, resulting from a special dividend.

(d) 

Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

(e) 

Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.

(f) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated net expenses and/or net investment income.

(g) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated fees waived of 0.12%.

(h) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

10    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Financial Highlights  (continued)

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

            BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. (continued)  
            Investor A  
            Year Ended March 31,  
             2020      2019      2018      2017     2016  

Net asset value, beginning of year

     $ 26.22      $ 31.22      $ 33.76      $ 28.55     $ 32.09  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)(a)

       0.33        0.32        0.08 (b)        (0.03 )(c)       (0.02

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

       (2.76      1.30        2.58        6.42       (2.64
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

       (2.43      1.62        2.66        6.39       (2.66
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Distributions(d)

               

From net investment income

       (0.32      (0.39      (0.02            (0.88

From net realized gain

       (0.45      (6.23      (5.18      (1.18      
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions

       (0.77      (6.62      (5.20      (1.18     (0.88
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of year

     $ 23.02      $ 26.22      $ 31.22      $ 33.76     $ 28.55  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return(e)

               

Based on net asset value

       (9.79 )%       6.52      8.20      22.36     (8.28 )% 
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(f)

               

Total expenses

       1.12 %(g)        1.25 %(g)        1.33 %(h)        1.24 %(h)       1.26 %(h)  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

       0.73 %(g)        0.73 %(g)        1.19 %(h)        1.24 %(h)       1.26 %(h)  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

       1.19 %(g)        1.24 %(g)        0.23 %(b)(h)       (0.10 )%(c)(h)      (0.06 )%(h) 
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

               

Net assets, end of year (000)

     $         188,164      $     279,014      $     309,125      $     366,669     $     392,584  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate of the Master LLC

       123      142      147      68     71
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

Net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets includes $0.06 per share and 0.20%, respectively, resulting from a special dividend.

(c) 

Net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets includes $0.03 per share and 0.08%, respectively, resulting from a special dividend.

(d) 

Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

(e) 

Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions.

(f) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated net expenses and/or net investment income.

(g) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated fees waived of 0.12%.

(h) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

FUND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS      11  


Financial Highlights  (continued)

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

            BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. (continued)  
            Investor C  
            Year Ended March 31,  
             2020     2019     2018     2017     2016  

Net asset value, beginning of year

     $ 16.83     $ 22.38     $ 25.28     $ 21.80     $ 24.72  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)(a)

       0.08       0.08       (0.12 )(b)       (0.22 )(c)       (0.20

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

       (1.72     0.83       1.91       4.88       (2.03
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

       (1.64     0.91       1.79       4.66       (2.23
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Distributions(d)

            

From net investment income

       (0.22     (0.23                 (0.69

From net realized gain

       (0.45     (6.23     (4.69     (1.18      
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions

       (0.67     (6.46     (4.69     (1.18     (0.69
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of year

     $ 14.52     $ 16.83     $ 22.38     $ 25.28     $ 21.80  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return(e)

            

Based on net asset value

       (10.45 )%      5.73     7.35     21.33     (9.02 )% 
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(f)

            

Total expenses

       1.98 %(g)      2.12 %(g)      2.16 %(h)      2.07 %(h)       2.09 %(h)  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

       1.48 %(g)      1.48 %(g)      2.00 %(h)      2.07 %(h)       2.09 %(h)  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

       0.44 %(g)      0.46 %(g)      (0.52 )%(b)(h)      (0.93 )%(c)(h)      (0.89 )%(h) 
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

            

Net assets, end of year (000)

     $         21,376     $     39,413     $     59,781     $     130,476     $     136,066  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate of the Master LLC

       123     142     147     68     71
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

Net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets includes $0.06 per share and 0.20%, respectively, resulting from a special dividend.

(c) 

Net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets includes $0.03 per share and 0.08%, respectively, resulting from a special dividend.

(d) 

Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

(e) 

Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions.

(f) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated net expenses and/or net investment income.

(g) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated fees waived of 0.12%.

(h) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

12    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Financial Highlights  (continued)

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

           BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.
(continued)
 
                  Class K         
                      Period  
                      from  
           Year Ended March 31,     01/25/18(a)
to
 
            2020     2019     03/31/18  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $ 27.38     $ 32.34     $ 34.28  
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)(b)

      0.43       0.42       (0.06

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

      (2.89     1.32       (1.88
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

      (2.46     1.74       (1.94
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Distributions(c)

       

From net investment income

      (0.39     (0.47      

From net realized gain

      (0.45     (6.23      
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions

      (0.84     (6.70      
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $ 24.08     $ 27.38     $ 32.34  
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return(d)

       

Based on net asset value

      (9.53 )%      6.74     (5.66 )%(e) 
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(f)

       

Total expenses

      0.77 %(g)      0.90 %(g)      0.87 %(h) 
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

      0.43 %(g)      0.43 %(g)      0.43 %(h) 
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

      1.49 %(g)      1.53 %(g)      (1.06 )%(h) 
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

       

Net assets, end of period (000)

    $         1,549     $     2,241     $     2,736  
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate of the Master LLC

      123     142     147
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Commencement of operations.

(b) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(c) 

Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

(d) 

Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.

(e) 

Aggregate total return.

(f) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated net expenses and/or net investment income.

(g) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated fees waived of 0.12%.

(h) 

Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

FUND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS      13  


Financial Highlights  (continued)

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

           BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. (continued)  
           Class R  
           Year Ended March 31,  
             2020     2019     2018     2017     2016  

Net asset value, beginning of year

     $ 19.18     $ 24.61     $ 27.65     $ 23.63     $ 26.74  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)(a)

       0.19       0.19       (0.00 )(b)(c)       (0.11 )(d)       (0.08

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

       (1.98     0.95       2.07       5.31       (2.20
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

       (1.79     1.14       2.07       5.20       (2.28
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Distributions(e)

            

From net investment income

       (0.28     (0.34                 (0.83

From net realized gain

       (0.45     (6.23     (5.11     (1.18      
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions

       (0.73     (6.57     (5.11     (1.18     (0.83
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of year

     $ 16.66     $ 19.18     $ 24.61     $ 27.65     $ 23.63  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return(f)

            

Based on net asset value

       (10.00 )%      6.31     7.87     21.97     (8.50 )% 
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(g)

            

Total expenses

       1.41 %(h)      1.54 %(h)      1.60 %(i)      1.55 %(i)      1.51 %(i) 
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

       0.98 %(h)      0.98 %(h)      1.44 %(i)      1.55 %(i)      1.51 %(i) 
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

       0.94 %(h)      0.98 %(h)      (0.01 )%(b)(i)      (0.42 )%(d)(i)      (0.31 )%(i) 
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

            

Net assets, end of year (000)

     $         8,359     $     17,433     $     22,726     $     26,004     $     23,037  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate of the Master LLC

       123     142     147     68     71
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

Net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets includes $0.06 per share and 0.20%, respectively, resulting from a special dividend.

(c) 

Amount is greater than $(0.005) per share.

(d) 

Net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets includes $0.03 per share and 0.08%, respectively, resulting from a special dividend.

(e) 

Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

(f) 

Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.

(g) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated net expenses and/or net investment income.

(h) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated fees waived of 0.12%.

(i) 

Includes the Fund’s share of the Master LLC’s allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

14    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Notes to Financial Statements    BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

 

1.

ORGANIZATION

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Fund is organized as a Maryland corporation. The Fund is classified as diversified. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing all of its assets in Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC (the “Master LLC”), an affiliate of the Fund, which has the same investment objective and strategies as the Fund. The value of the Fund’s investment in the Master LLC reflects the Fund’s proportionate interest in the net assets of the Master LLC. The performance of the Fund is directly affected by the performance of the Master LLC. At March 31, 2020, the percentage of the Master LLC owned by the Fund was 100%. The financial statements of the Master LLC, including the Schedule of Investments, are included elsewhere in this report and should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s financial statements.

The Fund offers multiple classes of shares. All classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidation and other rights and are subject to the same terms and conditions, except that certain classes bear expenses related to the shareholder servicing and distribution of such shares. Institutional and Class K Shares are sold only to certain eligible investors. Investor A, Investor C and Class R Shares bear certain expenses related to shareholder servicing of such shares, and Investor C and Class R Shares also bear certain expenses related to the distribution of such shares. Investor A and Investor C Shares are generally available through financial intermediaries. Class R Shares are sold only to certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. Each class has exclusive voting rights with respect to matters relating to its shareholder servicing and distribution expenditures (except that Investor C shareholders may vote on material changes to the Investor A Shares distribution and service plan). The Board of Directors of the Fund and the Board of Directors of the Master LLC are referred to throughout this report as the “Board of Directors” or the “Board” and the members are referred to as “Directors.”

 

Share Class   Initial Sales
Charge
       CDSC     Conversion Privilege

Institutional, Class K and Class R Shares

    No          No     None

Investor A Shares

    Yes          No (a)    None

Investor C Shares

    No          Yes (b)    To Investor A Shares after approximately 10 years

 

  (a) 

Investor A Shares may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) for certain redemptions where no initial sales charge was paid at the time of purchase.

 
  (b) 

A CDSC of 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of Investor C Shares made within one year after purchase.

 

The Fund, together with certain other registered investment companies advised by BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Administrator”) or its affiliates, is included in a complex of equity, multi-asset, index and money market funds referred to as the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex.

 

2.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), which may require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Fund is considered an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. Below is a summary of significant accounting policies:

Investment Transactions and Income Recognition: For financial reporting purposes, contributions to and withdrawals from the Master LLC are accounted for on a trade date basis. The Fund records its proportionate share of the Master LLC’s income, expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses on a daily basis. In addition, the Fund accrues its own expenses. Income, expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated daily to each class based on its relative net assets.

Distributions: Distributions paid by the Fund are recorded on the ex-dividend date. The character and timing of distributions are determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations, which may differ from U.S. GAAP.

Indemnifications: In the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations that provide general indemnification. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown because it involves future potential claims against the Fund, which cannot be predicted with any certainty.

Other: Expenses directly related to the Fund or its classes are charged to the Fund or the applicable class. Other operating expenses shared by several funds, including other funds managed by the Administrator, are prorated among those funds on the basis of relative net assets or other appropriate methods. Expenses directly related to the Fund and other shared expenses prorated to the Fund are allocated daily to each class based on its relative net assets or other appropriate methods.

The Fund has an arrangement with its custodian whereby credits are earned on uninvested cash balances, which could be used to reduce custody fees and/or overdraft charges. The Fund may incur charges on certain uninvested cash balances and overdrafts, subject to certain conditions.

 

3.

INVESTMENT VALUATION AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Investment Valuation Policies: The Fund’s policy is to value its financial instruments at fair value. The Fund records its investment in the Master LLC at fair value based on the Fund’s proportionate interest in the net assets of the Master LLC. Valuation of securities held by the Master LLC is discussed in Note 3 of the Master LLC’s Notes to Financial Statements, which are included elsewhere in this report.

 

4.

ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Administration: The Fund entered into an Administration Agreement with the Administrator, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”), to provide administrative services (other than investment advice and related portfolio activities). For such services, the Fund pays the Administrator a monthly fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. The Fund does not pay an investment advisory fee or investment management fee.

 

 

FUND NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      15  


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)   

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

 

Service and Distribution Fees: The Fund entered into a Distribution Agreement and Distribution and Service Plans with BlackRock Investments, LLC (“BRIL”), an affiliate of the Administrator. Pursuant to the Distribution and Service Plans and in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund pays BRIL ongoing service and distribution fees. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly at annual rates based upon the average daily net assets of the relevant share class of the Fund as follows:

 

     Investor A     Investor C     Class R  

Distribution Fee

        0.75     0.25

Service Fee

    0.25       0.25       0.25  

BRIL and broker-dealers, pursuant to sub-agreements with BRIL, provide shareholder servicing and distribution services to the Fund. The ongoing service and/or distribution fee compensates BRIL and each broker-dealer for providing shareholder servicing and/or distribution related services to shareholders.

For the year ended March 31, 2020, the following table shows the class specific service and distribution fees borne directly by each share class of the Fund:

 

Investor A   Investor C                                             Class R   Total         

$650,105

  $334,760                                             $70,235   $1,055,100

Transfer Agent: Pursuant to written agreements, certain financial intermediaries, some of which may be affiliates, provide the Fund with sub-accounting, recordkeeping, sub-transfer agency and other administrative services with respect to servicing of underlying investor accounts. For these services, these entities receive an asset-based fee or an annual fee per shareholder account, which will vary depending on share class and/or net assets. For the year ended March 31, 2020, the Fund did not pay any amounts to affiliates in return for these services.

The Administrator maintains a call center that is responsible for providing certain shareholder services to the Fund. Shareholder services include responding to inquiries and processing purchases and sales based upon instructions from shareholders. For the year ended March 31, 2020, the Fund reimbursed the Administrator the following amounts for costs incurred in running the call center, which are included in transfer agent — class specific in the Statement of Operations:

 

Institutional   Investor A    Investor C    Class K    Class R    Total      

$3,101

  $2,715    $559    $4    $88      $6,467  

For the year ended March 31, 2020, the following table shows the class specific transfer agent fees borne directly by each share class of the Fund:

 

Institutional   Investor A    Investor C    Class K    Class R    Total       

$97,760

  $350,402    $83,549    $754    $24,876      $557,341  

Other Fees: For the year ended March 31, 2020, affiliates earned underwriting discounts, direct commissions and dealer concessions on sales of the Fund’s Investor A Shares, which totaled $2,452.

For the year ended March 31, 2020, affiliates received CDSCs as follows:

 

 

 

Investor A

  $ 16  

Investor C

    270  

 

 

Expense Limitations, Waivers, Reimbursements and Recoupments: With respect to the Fund, the Administrator contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit expenses, excluding interest expense, dividend expense, tax expense, acquired fund fees and expenses, and certain other fund expenses, which constitute extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business (“expense limitation”). The expense limitations as a percentage of average daily net assets are as follows:

 

 

 

Institutional

    0.48

Investor A

    0.73  

Investor C

    1.48  

Class K

    0.43  

Class R

    0.98  

 

 

The Administrator has agreed not to reduce or discontinue these contractual expense limitations through July 31, 2020, unless approved by the Board, including a majority of the directors who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act (“Independent Directors”), or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. For the year ended March 31, 2020, the Administrator waived and/or reimbursed $1,218,574, which is included in fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Administrator in the Statement of Operations.

These amounts waived and/or reimbursed are included in transfer agent fees waived and/or reimbursed — class specific in the Statement of Operations. For the year ended March 31, 2020, class specific expense waivers and/or reimbursements are as follows:

 

     Institutional                  Investor A                  Investor C                  Class K                  Class R                      Total  

Transfer agent fees waived and/or reimbursed — class specific

    $54,088        $219,742        $65,656        $754        $17,794        $358,034  

With respect to the contractual expense limitation, if during the Fund’s fiscal year the operating expenses of a share class, that at any time during the prior two fiscal years received a waiver and/or reimbursement from the Administrator, are less than the current expense limitation for that share class, the Administrator is entitled to be reimbursed by such share class up to the lesser of: (a) the amount of fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed during those prior two fiscal years under the agreement and (b) an amount not to exceed either the current expense limitation of that share class or the expense limitation of the share class in effect at the time that the share class received the applicable waiver and/or reimbursement, provided that:

(1) the Fund, of which the share class is a part, has more than $50 million in assets for the fiscal year, and

 

 

16    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)    BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

 

(2) the Administrator or an affiliate continues to serve as the Fund’s investment adviser or administrator.

This repayment applies only to the contractual expense limitation on net expenses and does not apply to any voluntary waivers that may be in effect from time to time. Effective December 1, 2019, the repayment arrangement between the Fund and the Manager pursuant to which such Fund may be required to repay amounts waived and/or reimbursed under the Fund’s contractual caps on net expenses was terminated.

The following fund level and class specific waivers and/or reimbursements previously recorded by the Fund, which were subject to recoupment by the Manager, expired on December 1, 2019:

 

Fund Level

  $ 3,149,761  

Institutional

    161,129  

Investor A

    569,499  

Investor C

    194,977  

K Shares

    1,816  

R Shares

    51,587  

Interfund Lending: In accordance with an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Fund may participate in a joint lending and borrowing facility for temporary purposes (the “Interfund Lending Program”), subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the Order, and to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions. The Fund is currently permitted to borrow and lend under the Interfund Lending Program.

A lending BlackRock fund may lend in aggregate up to 15% of its net assets, but may not lend more than 5% of its net assets to any one borrowing fund through the Interfund Lending Program. A borrowing BlackRock fund may not borrow through the Interfund Lending Program or from any other source more than 33 1/3% of its total assets (or any lower threshold provided for by the fund’s investment restrictions). If a borrowing BlackRock fund’s total outstanding borrowings exceed 10% of its total assets, each of its outstanding interfund loans will be subject to collateralization of at least 102% of the outstanding principal value of the loan. All interfund loans are for temporary or emergency purposes and the interest rate to be charged will be the average of the highest current overnight repurchase agreement rate available to a lending fund and the bank loan rate, as calculated according to a formula established by the Board.

During the year ended March 31, 2020, the Fund did not participate in the Interfund Lending Program.

Directors and Officers: Certain directors and/or officers of the Fund are directors and/or officers of BlackRock or its affiliates. The Fund reimburses the Administrator for a portion of the compensation paid to the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer, which is included in Officer in the Statement of Operations.

 

5.

INCOME TAX INFORMATION

It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, applicable to regulated investment companies, and to distribute substantially all of its taxable income to its shareholders. Therefore, no U.S. federal income tax provision is required.

The Fund files U.S. federal and various state and local tax returns. No income tax returns are currently under examination. The statute of limitations on the Fund’s U.S. federal tax returns generally remains open for each of the four years ended March 31, 2020. The statutes of limitations on the Fund’s state and local tax returns may remain open for an additional year depending upon the jurisdiction.

Management has analyzed tax laws and regulations and their application to the Fund as of March 31, 2020, inclusive of the open tax return years, and does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability in the Fund’s financial statements.

The tax character of distributions paid was as follows:

 

 

 
    03/31/20            03/31/19  

 

 

Ordinary income.

  $ 4,573,856        $ 26,957,982  

Long-term capital gains.

    6,401,589                                   85,906,199  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 
  $ 10,975,445        $ 112,864,181  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

As of period end, the tax components of accumulated loss were as follows:

 

 

 

Undistributed ordinary income

  $ 59,233  

Net unrealized losses(a)

    (24,592,245
 

 

 

 
  $ (24,533,012
 

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized losses was attributable primarily to the tax deferral of losses on wash sales, the timing and recognition of partnership income and the realization for tax purposes of unrealized gains/losses on certain futures contracts.

 

 

 

FUND NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      17  


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)    BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

 

6.

CAPITALSHARETRANSACTIONS

Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

 

 
    Year Ended 03/31/20            Year Ended 03/31/19  
    Shares            Amount            Shares            Amount  

 

 

Institutional

                

Shares sold

    255,642        $ 7,368,654          270,063        $ 7,139,139  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    74,303          2,169,640          735,291          19,359,007  

Shares redeemed

    (524,498        (14,883,270        (1,329,225        (36,525,033
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net decrease

    (194,553      $ (5,344,976                     (323,871      $ (10,026,887
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Investor A

                

Shares sold and automatic conversion of shares

    537,991          14,529,303          1,132,063          29,439,798  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    227,881          6,362,419          2,415,740          60,954,044  

Shares redeemed

    (3,232,568        (88,221,118        (2,807,025        (72,207,810
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (2,466,696      $ (67,329,396        740,778        $ 18,186,032  
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Investor C

                

Shares sold

    240,150        $ 4,126,718          381,485        $ 6,363,666  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    63,635          1,123,166          1,013,909          16,646,560  

Shares redeemed and automatic conversion of shares

    (1,172,927        (20,351,182        (1,725,428        (29,221,707
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net decrease

    (869,142      $ (15,101,298        (330,034      $ (6,211,481
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Class K

                

Shares sold

    9,277        $ 266,308          17,557        $ 479,353  

Shares issued in reinvestment of dividends

    1,957          57,105          21,730          572,043  

Shares redeemed

    (28,792        (836,810        (42,031        (1,144,005
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net decrease

    (17,558      $ (513,397        (2,744      $ (92,609
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Class R

                

Shares sold

    101,711        $ 1,999,457          175,934        $ 3,446,620  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    21,336          431,405          324,341          6,038,037  

Shares redeemed

    (530,086        (10,540,466        (514,881        (9,970,319
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net decrease

    (407,039      $ (8,109,604        (14,606      $ (485,662
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Net Increase (Decrease)

    (3,954,988      $ (96,398,671        69,523        $ 1,369,393  
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

7.

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Management has evaluated the impact of all subsequent events on the Fund through the date the financial statements were issued and has determined that there were no subsequent events requiring adjustment or additional disclosure in the financial statements.

 

 

18    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.:

Opinion on the Financial Statements and Financial Highlights

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”), as of March 31, 2020, including the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, and the related notes. In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of March 31, 2020, and the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements and financial highlights based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Fund is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements and financial highlights, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements and financial highlights. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements and financial highlights. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Deloitte & Touche LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

May 22, 2020

We have served as the auditor of one or more BlackRock investment companies since 1992.

 

 

Important Tax Information  (unaudited)

For corporate shareholders, the percentage of ordinary income distributions paid during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 that qualified for the dividends-received deduction were as follows:

 

Fund   Dividends-Received Deduction

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

  85.77%

The following maximum amounts are hereby designated as qualified dividend income for individuals for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020:

 

Fund   Qualified Dividend Income

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

  $6,767,205

The following maximum amounts are hereby designated as qualified business income for individuals for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020:

 

Fund   Qualified Business Income

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

  $644,515

The following distribution amounts are hereby designated for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020:

 

Fund  

20% Rate Long-Term

Capital Gain Dividends

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.

  $6,401,589

 

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM/IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION      19  


Portfolio Information as of March 31,  2020

   Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

 

TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS

 

 

 
Security   Percent of
Net Assets
 

 

 

Microsoft Corp.

    5%  

Apple Inc.

    5     

Amazon.com, Inc.

    4     

Johnson & Johnson

    2     

Facebook, Inc., Class A.

    2     

Mastercard, Inc., Class A

    2     

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Class B

    2     

PepsiCo, Inc.

    1     

Alphabet, Inc., Class C

    1     

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

    1     

SECTOR ALLOCATION

 

 

 
Sector  

Percent of

Net Assets

 

 

 

Information Technology

    24%  

Health Care

    15     

Financials

    11     

Consumer Discretionary

    11     

Communication Services

    9     

Industrials

    9     

Consumer Staples

    7     

Utilities

    4     

Real Estate

    3     

Energy

    2     

Materials

    2     

Short-Term Securities

    8     

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets

    (5)    

For Master LLC compliance purposes, the Master LLC’s sector classifications refer to one or more of the sector sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or ratings group indexes, and/or as defined by the investment adviser. These definitions may not apply for purposes of this report, which may combine such sector sub-classifications for reporting ease.

 

 

 

20    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Schedule of Investments

March 31, 2020

  

Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

(Percentages shown are based on Net Assets)

 

Security   Shares     Value  

Common Stocks — 97.1%

   

Aerospace & Defense — 2.0%

   

Boeing Co.

    3,243     $ 483,661  

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

    2,267       209,493  

HEICO Corp.(a)

    8,108       604,938  

Hexcel Corp.

    4,479       166,574  

Lockheed Martin Corp.

    6,371       2,159,450  

Northrop Grumman Corp.

    503       152,183  

Raytheon Co.

    6,915       906,902  

Teledyne Technologies, Inc.(b)

    3,884       1,154,597  
   

 

 

 
      5,837,798  
Air Freight & Logistics — 0.2%            

Hub Group, Inc., Class A(a)(b)

    10,936       497,260  

United Parcel Service, Inc., Class B

    2,436       227,571  
   

 

 

 
      724,831  
Airlines — 0.2%            

Alaska Air Group, Inc.

    13,726       390,779  

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

    7,280       207,698  

Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.

    1,730       18,061  
   

 

 

 
      616,538  
Auto Components — 0.2%            

Aptiv PLC

    477       23,487  

BorgWarner, Inc.

    7,317       178,315  

Dana, Inc.

    38,603       301,489  

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

    19,531       113,670  
   

 

 

 
      616,961  
Automobiles — 0.3%            

General Motors Co.(a)

    11,189       232,507  

Harley-Davidson, Inc.

    13,325       252,242  

Tesla, Inc.(b)

    1,012       530,288  
   

 

 

 
      1,015,037  
Banks — 3.6%            

Bank of America Corp.

    85,323       1,811,407  

Bank OZK

    11,047       184,485  

BOK Financial Corp.

    936       39,836  

Citigroup, Inc.

    15,180       639,382  

Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

    9,226       173,541  

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc.

    12,913       720,416  

East West Bancorp, Inc.

    4,573       117,709  

First Horizon National Corp.

    34,068       274,588  

First Republic Bank

    683       56,197  

IBERIABANK Corp.

    598       21,624  

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

    35,827       3,225,505  

M&T Bank Corp.

    332       34,339  

National Bank Holdings Corp., Class A

    1,355       32,385  

Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc.

    1,509       56,648  

PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

    5,019       480,419  

Republic First Bancorp, Inc. (b)

    63,588       139,258  

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc.

    3,261       73,829  

South State Corp.

    2,368       139,073  

Truist Financial Corp.

    9,161       282,525  

US Bancorp.

    9,695       333,993  

Webster Financial Corp.

    4,157       95,195  

Wells Fargo & Co.

    46,053       1,321,721  

Wintrust Financial Corp.

    1,138       37,395  

Zions Bancorp NA

    9,738       260,589  
   

 

 

 
      10,552,059  
Beverages — 2.5%            

Coca-Cola Co.

    32,979       1,459,321  

Coca-Cola European Partners PLC

    5,420       203,413  

Molson Coors Beverage Co., Class B

    30,805       1,201,703  

PepsiCo, Inc.

    35,865       4,307,387  
   

 

 

 
      7,171,824  
Biotechnology — 4.5%            

AbbVie, Inc.

    41,351       3,150,533  
Security   Shares     Value  
Biotechnology (continued)            

Amgen, Inc.

    8,878     $ 1,799,837  

Biogen, Inc.(b)

    1,501       474,886  

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

    51,115       3,821,357  

Immunic, Inc.(b)

    4,797       28,638  

Incyte Corp.(b)

    4,555       333,563  

Moderna, Inc.(b)

    2,533       75,863  

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(b)

    1,436       701,184  

United Therapeutics Corp.(b)

    4,428       419,885  

Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(b)

    9,477       2,255,052  
   

 

 

 
      13,060,798  
Building Products — 0.6%            

Allegion PLC

    18,641       1,715,345  

Resideo Technologies, Inc.(b)

    11,037       53,419  
   

 

 

 
      1,768,764  
Capital Markets — 3.2%            

Affiliated Managers Group, Inc.

    6,805       402,448  

Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

    8,683       292,443  

Charles Schwab Corp.

    23,363       785,464  

CME Group, Inc.

    6,942       1,200,341  

E*TRADE Financial Corp.

    1,677       57,555  

FactSet Research Systems, Inc.

    3,643       949,657  

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

    1,313       202,977  

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.

    12,492       1,008,729  

Invesco Ltd.

    14,335       130,162  

Moody’s Corp.

    3,171       670,667  

Morgan Stanley

    41,568       1,413,312  

Nasdaq, Inc.

    1,823       173,094  

Northern Trust Corp.

    1,669       125,943  

S&P Global, Inc.

    7,013       1,718,536  

T Rowe Price Group, Inc.

    445       43,454  

TD Ameritrade Holding Corp.

    3,051       105,748  

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.

    1,929       35,320  
   

 

 

 
      9,315,850  
Chemicals — 1.5%            

Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.

    7,539       1,504,860  

Dow, Inc.

    4,350       127,194  

Ecolab, Inc.

    5,852       911,917  

FMC Corp.

    413       33,738  

Linde PLC

    268       46,364  

LyondellBasell Industries NV, Class A

    771       38,265  

Mosaic Co.

    30,364       328,538  

Sherwin-Williams Co.

    2,638       1,212,214  

Trinseo SA

    1,728       31,294  
   

 

 

 
      4,234,384  
Commercial Services & Supplies — 0.3%            

Cintas Corp.

    5,510       954,442  
   

 

 

 
Communications Equipment — 0.5%            

Calix, Inc.(b)

    29,709       210,340  

Ciena Corp.(b)

    1,138       45,304  

Cisco Systems, Inc.

    31,177       1,225,568  

ViaSat, Inc.(b)

    734       26,365  
   

 

 

 
      1,507,577  
Construction & Engineering — 0.7%            

Comfort Systems USA, Inc.

    22,017       804,721  

EMCOR Group, Inc.

    12,581       771,467  

Fluor Corp.

    20,907       144,467  

MasTec, Inc.(a)(b)

    6,844       224,004  
   

 

 

 
      1,944,659  
Consumer Finance — 0.7%            

Ally Financial, Inc.

    35,014       505,252  

American Express Co.

    11,031       944,364  

Capital One Financial Corp.

    9,430       475,461  

FirstCash, Inc.

    1,137       81,568  
   

 

 

 
      2,006,645  
 

 

 

MASTER LLC SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS      21  


Schedule of Investments  (continued)

March 31, 2020

  

Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

(Percentages shown are based on Net Assets)

 

Security   Shares     Value  
Containers & Packaging — 0.1%            

Westrock Co.

    12,788     $ 361,389  
   

 

 

 
Distributors — 0.1%            

Pool Corp.

    1,374       270,362  
   

 

 

 
Diversified Consumer Services — 0.3%            

Grand Canyon Education, Inc.(b)

    1,651       125,947  

H&R Block, Inc.

    48,059       676,671  

Service Corp. International

    658       25,734  
   

 

 

 
      828,352  
Diversified Financial Services — 1.5%            

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Class B(b)

    24,005       4,388,834  
   

 

 

 
Diversified Telecommunication Services — 1.3%            

AT&T Inc.

    50,074       1,459,657  

CenturyLink, Inc.

    29,463       278,720  

Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc.

    6,307       516,985  

Intelsat SA(b)

    10,016       15,324  

Verizon Communications, Inc.

    28,912       1,553,442  
   

 

 

 
      3,824,128  
Electric Utilities — 2.3%            

Alliant Energy Corp.

    22,151       1,069,672  

Eversource Energy

    27,462       2,147,803  

IDACORP, Inc.

    19,183       1,684,076  

NextEra Energy, Inc.

    295       70,983  

Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

    5,609       425,106  

Xcel Energy, Inc.

    19,319       1,164,936  
   

 

 

 
      6,562,576  
Electrical Equipment — 0.7%            

AMETEK, Inc.

    16,497       1,188,114  

Hubbell, Inc.

    8,140       933,984  
   

 

 

 
      2,122,098  
Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components — 0.3%  

Avnet, Inc.

    6,173       154,942  

National Instruments Corp.

    25,537       844,764  
   

 

 

 
      999,706  
Energy Equipment & Services — 0.2%            

Archrock, Inc.

    64,198       241,384  

Helmerich & Payne, Inc.

    2,044       31,989  

Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc.

    14,883       34,975  

Schlumberger Ltd.

    3,628       48,942  

Seadrill Ltd.(b)

    74       32  

TechnipFMC PLC

    15,792       106,438  

Transocean Ltd.(b)

    104,889       121,671  
   

 

 

 
      585,431  
Entertainment — 0.9%            

Activision Blizzard, Inc.

    4,764       283,363  

Cinemark Holdings, Inc.

    6,066       61,813  

Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.(b)

    1,871       85,056  

Netflix, Inc.(b)

    1,927       723,589  

Spotify Technology SA(b)

    3,347       406,460  

Walt Disney Co.

    9,298       898,187  

Zynga, Inc., Class A(b)

    10,806       74,021  
   

 

 

 
      2,532,489  
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) — 3.0%  

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

    3,306       453,120  

American Tower Corp.

    1,879       409,152  

AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

    1,173       172,630  

Boston Properties, Inc.

    18,640       1,719,167  

Brandywine Realty Trust

    13,535       142,388  

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

    749       104,044  

Equinix, Inc.

    105       65,580  

Equity Residential

    10,389       641,105  

Essex Property Trust, Inc.

    817       179,936  

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

    50,172       553,899  
Security   Shares     Value  
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) (continued)  

Lamar Advertising Co., Class A

    22,736     $ 1,165,902  

Macerich Co.

    8,922       50,231  

National Retail Properties, Inc.

    1,381       44,454  

Outfront Media, Inc.

    12,385       166,950  

Park Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

    60,270       476,736  

Prologis, Inc.

    11,138       895,161  

QTS Realty Trust, Inc., Class A

    1,133       65,725  

Realty Income Corp.

    1,515       75,538  

RLJ Lodging Trust

    94,267       727,741  

Simon Property Group, Inc.

    3,507       192,394  

Ventas, Inc.

    2,581       69,171  

Welltower, Inc.

    10,825       495,568  
   

 

 

 
      8,866,592  
Food & Staples Retailing — 1.1%            

Costco Wholesale Corp.

    7,855       2,239,696  

Kroger Co.

    1,880       56,626  

Performance Food Group Co.(a)(b)

    7,433       183,744  

Walmart, Inc.

    5,714       649,225  
   

 

 

 
      3,129,291  
Food Products — 1.7%            

General Mills, Inc.

    33,860       1,786,792  

Hershey Co.

    15,906       2,107,545  

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.

    3,911       223,318  

Lancaster Colony Corp.

    4,894       707,868  
   

 

 

 
      4,825,523  
Gas Utilities — 0.1%            

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.

    5,853       407,135  
   

 

 

 
Health Care Equipment & Supplies — 2.5%            

Abbott Laboratories

    14,965       1,180,888  

DexCom, Inc.(b)

    693       186,604  

Edwards Lifesciences Corp.(b)

    9,178       1,731,154  

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.(b)

    4,048       980,588  

Medtronic PLC

    288       25,972  

STERIS PLC

    254       35,552  

Stryker Corp.

    18,588       3,094,716  
   

 

 

 
      7,235,474  
Health Care Providers & Services — 2.9%            

AMN Healthcare Services, Inc.(a)(b)

    3,684       212,972  

Anthem, Inc.

    6,918       1,570,663  

Cardinal Health, Inc.

    1,140       54,652  

Cigna Corp.

    4,223       748,231  

CVS Health Corp.

    26,428       1,567,973  

HCA Healthcare, Inc.

    3,524       316,631  

McKesson Corp.(a)

    2,199       297,437  

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

    14,983       3,736,461  
   

 

 

 
      8,505,020  
Health Care Technology — 0.1%            

Teladoc Health, Inc.(a)(b)

    2,512       389,385  
   

 

 

 
Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure — 1.8%            

Boyd Gaming Corp.

    29,114       419,824  

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.(b)

    939       614,482  

Choice Hotels International, Inc.

    7,796       477,505  

Darden Restaurants, Inc.

    6,901       375,828  

Domino’s Pizza, Inc.

    750       243,053  

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.

    3,185       169,124  

Extended Stay America, Inc.

    51,295       374,966  

International Game Technology PLC

    10,718       63,772  

McDonald’s Corp.

    7,072       1,169,355  

Penn National Gaming, Inc.(b)

    6,306       79,771  

Starbucks Corp.

    9,046       594,684  

Texas Roadhouse, Inc.

    15,589       643,826  

Yum! Brands, Inc.

    617       42,283  
   

 

 

 
      5,268,473  
 

 

 

22    2020 BLACKROCK SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Schedule of Investments  (continued)

March 31, 2020

  

Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

(Percentages shown are based on Net Assets)

 

Security   Shares     Value  
Household Durables — 0.3%        

DR Horton, Inc.

    19,848     $ 674,832  

Helen of Troy Ltd.(b)

    2,143       308,656  
   

 

 

 
      983,488  
Household Products — 1.8%        

Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

    11,418       732,807  

Clorox Co.

    5,509       954,434  

Procter & Gamble Co.

    32,794       3,607,340  
   

 

 

 
      5,294,581  
Industrial Conglomerates — 0.8%        

Carlisle Cos., Inc.

    470       58,882  

Honeywell International, Inc.

    11,175       1,495,103  

Roper Technologies, Inc.

    2,449       763,623  
   

 

 

 
      2,317,608  
Insurance — 1.8%            

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

    14,295       1,165,185  

Cincinnati Financial Corp.

    11,975       903,514  

CNO Financial Group, Inc.

    9,106       112,823  

First American Financial Corp.

    9,504       403,065  

Globe Life, Inc.

    10,163       731,431  

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc.

    5,598       484,003  

Prudential Financial, Inc.

    17,807       928,457  

Unum Group

    12,419       186,409  

Willis Towers Watson PLC

    1,479       251,208  
   

 

 

 
      5,166,095  
Interactive Media & Services — 4.5%        

Alphabet, Inc., Class A(b)

    3,250       3,776,338  

Alphabet, Inc., Class C(b)

    3,418       3,974,485  

Cargurus, Inc.(b)

    4,192       79,396  

Facebook, Inc., Class A(a)(b)

    30,610       5,105,748  

TripAdvisor, Inc.

    4,615       80,255  

Twitter, Inc.(b)

    3,750       92,100  

Yelp, Inc.(a)(b)

    3,464       62,456  
   

 

 

 
      13,170,778  
Internet & Direct Marketing Retail — 4.4%        

Amazon.com, Inc.(a)(b)

    6,353       12,386,571  

Blue Apron Holdings, Inc., Class A(a)(b)

    25,936       312,529  

Etsy, Inc.(b)

    2,294       88,181  
   

 

 

 
      12,787,281  
IT Services — 4.9%            

Accenture PLC, Class A

    1,243       202,932  

Automatic Data Processing, Inc.

    23,777       3,249,840  

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

    4,183       396,674  

Fiserv, Inc.(b)

    2,880       273,571  

Gartner, Inc.(b)

    7,788       775,451  

Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.

    2,524       391,826  

ManTech International Corp., Class A(a)

    1,138       82,698  

Mastercard, Inc., Class A

    18,526       4,475,141  

Paychex, Inc.

    35,961       2,262,666  

PayPal Holdings, Inc.(b)

    11,814       1,131,072  

Unisys Corp.(b)

    12,647       156,190  

VeriSign, Inc.(b)

    516       92,926  

Visa, Inc., Class A

    4,232       681,860  
   

 

 

 
      14,172,847  
Life Sciences Tools & Services — 0.3%        

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Class A(b)

    843       295,522  

Mettler-Toledo International, Inc.(b)

    825       569,671  

Waters Corp.(b)

    294       53,523  
   

 

 

 
      918,716  
Machinery — 1.9%            

AGCO Corp.

    1,182       55,850  

Fortive Corp.

    554       30,575  

IDEX Corp.

    9,348       1,291,052  

Oshkosh Corp.

    15,006       965,336  

PACCAR, Inc.

    43,525       2,660,683  
Security   Shares     Value  
Machinery (continued)            

Snap-on, Inc.

    5,838     $ 635,291  

Xylem, Inc.

    562       36,603  
   

 

 

 
      5,675,390  
Media — 2.2%            

AMC Networks, Inc., Class A(a)(b)

    9,053       220,078  

Comcast Corp., Class A

    22,966       789,571  

Discovery, Inc., Class A(b)

    72,879       1,416,768  

Gray Television, Inc.(a)(b)

    12,132       130,298  

iHeartMedia, Inc., Class A(a)(b)

    13,523       98,853  

Interpublic Group of Cos., Inc.

    114,236       1,849,481  

Liberty Media Corp. — Liberty SiriusXM, Class A(b)

    970       30,739  

Sirius XM Holdings, Inc.

    365,623       1,806,178  
   

 

 

 
      6,341,966  
Metals & Mining — 0.2%        

Alcoa Corp.(b)

    30,327       186,814  

Materion Corp.

    5,997       209,955  

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.

    599       52,466  
   

 

 

 
      449,235  
Multiline Retail — 0.8%        

Dollar General Corp.

    11,190       1,689,802  

Target Corp.

    5,736       533,276  
   

 

 

 
      2,223,078  
Multi-Utilities — 0.4%            

Ameren Corp.

    8,034       585,116  

CMS Energy Corp.

    7,038       413,483  

Consolidated Edison, Inc.

    2,138       166,764  

DTE Energy Co.

    668       63,440  
   

 

 

 
      1,228,803  
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels — 2.2%        

Apache Corp.

    6,986       29,201  

Chevron Corp.

    13,768       997,629  

Concho Resources, Inc.

    1,745       74,773  

ConocoPhillips

    11,596       357,157  

Continental Resources, Inc.(a)

    58,234       444,908  

Devon Energy Corp.

    27,611       190,792  

EOG Resources, Inc.

    28,489       1,023,325  

Exxon Mobil Corp.

    34,048       1,292,803  

Marathon Oil Corp.

    151,033       496,899  

Marathon Petroleum Corp.

    12,322       291,046  

Oasis Petroleum, Inc.(b)

    35,935       12,577  

Pioneer Natural Resources Co.

    524       36,759  

Range Resources Corp.

    17,166       39,138  

SM Energy Co.

    6,395       7,802  

Teekay Corp.(b)

    14,949       47,239  

Valero Energy Corp.

    10,482       475,464  

Williams Cos., Inc.

    37,438       529,748  
   

 

 

 
      6,347,260  
Paper & Forest Products — 0.4%        

Boise Cascade Co.

    13,115       311,875  

Clearwater Paper Corp.(a)(b)

    3,494       76,204  

Domtar Corp.

    23,750       513,950  

Verso Corp., Class A(b)

    13,864       156,386  
   

 

 

 
      1,058,415  
Personal Products — 0.3%        

Estee Lauder Cos., Inc., Class A

    5,568       887,205  
   

 

 

 
Pharmaceuticals — 5.1%        

Allergan PLC

    285       50,473  

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

    24,208       1,349,354  

Eli Lilly & Co.

    3,459       479,832  

Johnson & Johnson

    47,600       6,241,788  

Merck & Co., Inc.

    35,799       2,754,375  

Mylan NV(b)

    9,268       138,186  

Pfizer, Inc.

    54,174       1,768,239  
 

 

 

MASTER LLC SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS      23  


Schedule of Investments  (continued)

March 31, 2020

  

Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

(Percentages shown are based on Net Assets)

 

Security   Shares     Value  
Pharmaceuticals (continued)        

Prestige Consumer Healthcare, Inc.(b)

    9,605     $ 352,311  

Zoetis, Inc.

    16,011       1,884,335  
   

 

 

 
      15,018,893  
Professional Services — 0.1%        

IHS Markit Ltd.

    964       57,840  

Robert Half International, Inc.

    8,228       310,607  
   

 

 

 
      368,447  
Road & Rail — 0.4%            

CSX Corp.

    5,179       296,757  

Landstar System, Inc.

    3,871       371,074  

Lyft, Inc., Class A(b)

    5,415       145,393  

Norfolk Southern Corp.

    661       96,506  

Uber Technologies, Inc.(b)

    2,996       83,648  

Union Pacific Corp.

    1,052       148,374  

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc.

    8,923       116,891  
   

 

 

 
      1,258,643  
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment — 3.5%  

Broadcom, Inc.

    1,350       320,085  

Cirrus Logic, Inc.(b)

    15,975       1,048,439  

Cypress Semiconductor Corp.

    3,404       79,381  

Intel Corp.

    48,647       2,632,776  

Lam Research Corp.

    5,282       1,267,680  

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

    2,077       100,963  

NVIDIA Corp.

    7,135       1,880,786  

QUALCOMM, Inc.

    3,847       260,250  

Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

    18,207       1,627,342  

Texas Instruments, Inc.

    10,502       1,049,465  
   

 

 

 
      10,267,167  
Software — 9.7%            

8x8, Inc.(b)

    18,465       255,925  

Adobe, Inc.(b)

    11,453       3,644,803  

Atlassian Corp. PLC, Class A(b)

    3,308       454,056  

Citrix Systems, Inc.

    3,347       473,768  

Cloudflare, Inc., Class A(b)

    12,035       282,582  

DocuSign, Inc.(a)(b)

    5,144       475,306  

Intuit, Inc.

    7,045       1,620,350  

Manhattan Associates, Inc.(b)

    3,443       171,530  

Microsoft Corp.

    92,320       14,559,787  

New Relic, Inc.(b)

    1,469       67,927  

Paylocity Holding Corp.(b)

    3,985       351,955  

RingCentral, Inc., Class A(b)

    2,011       426,151  

salesforce.com, Inc.(b)

    16,563       2,384,741  

ServiceNow, Inc.(b)

    4,580       1,312,536  

Slack Technologies, Inc., Class A(b)

    9,918       266,199  

Smartsheet, Inc., Class A(b)

    7,168       297,544  

Teradata Corp.(b)

    3,382       69,297  

Workday, Inc., Class A(b)

    3,526       459,156  

Zoom Video Communications, Inc., Class A(b)

    1,987       290,340  

Zscaler, Inc.(b)

    5,549       337,712  
   

 

 

 
      28,201,665  
Specialty Retail — 1.3%        

Best Buy Co., Inc.

    4,060       231,420  

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

    1,786       79,048  

Home Depot, Inc.

    12,017       2,243,694  

Lithia Motors, Inc., Class A

    2,015       164,807  

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

    5,745       494,357  

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.(b)

    399       120,119  

TJX Cos., Inc.

    7,407       354,129  
   

 

 

 
      3,687,574  
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals — 4.8%        

Apple Inc.

    53,824       13,686,905  

HP, Inc.

    16,906       293,488  
   

 

 

 
      13,980,393  
Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods — 1.1%            

Lululemon Athletica, Inc. (b)

    3,447       653,379  
Security   Shares     Value  
Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods (continued)        

NIKE, Inc., Class B

    28,786     $ 2,381,754  

Ralph Lauren Corp.

    3,475       232,234  
   

 

 

 
      3,267,367  
Thrifts & Mortgage Finance — 0.1%        

MGIC Investment Corp.

    27,079       171,952  
   

 

 

 
Trading Companies & Distributors — 0.5%        

GATX Corp.(a)

    23,938       1,497,561  
   

 

 

 
Water Utilities — 0.9%            

American Water Works Co., Inc.

    21,324       2,549,497  
   

 

 

 
Wireless Telecommunication Services — 0.5%  

Gogo, Inc.(a)(b)

    22,424       47,539  

Telephone & Data Systems, Inc.

    48,891       819,413  

United States Cellular Corp.(b)

    16,432       481,293  
   

 

 

 
      1,348,245  

Total Common Stocks — 97.1%
(Cost: $304,788,089)

 

    283,070,575  
   

 

 

 

Rights — 0.0%

   

Pharmaceuticals — 0.0%

   

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. — CVR(b)

    8,974       34,101  
   

 

 

 

Total Rights — 0.0%
(Cost: $20,640)

 

    34,101  
   

 

 

 

Total Long-Term Investments — 97.1%
(Cost: $304,808,729)

 

    283,104,676  
   

 

 

 

Short-Term Securities — 8.2%

 

 

BlackRock Liquidity Funds, T-Fund, Institutional Class, 0.21%(c)(e)

    8,072,097       8,072,097  
   

 

 

 

SL Liquidity Series, LLC, Money Market Series, 0.88%(c)(d)(e)

    16,029,626       16,026,420  
   

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Securities — 8.2%
(Cost: $24,096,949)

 

    24,098,517  
   

 

 

 

Total Investments — 105.3%
(Cost: $328,905,678)

 

    307,203,193  

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets — (5.3)%

 

    (15,556,854
   

 

 

 

Net Assets — 100.0%

 

  $   291,646,339  
   

 

 

 
 

 

 

24    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Schedule of Investments  (continued)

March 31, 2020

  

Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

 

(a) 

Security, or a portion of the security, is on loan.

(b) 

Non-income producing security.

(c) 

Annualized 7-day yield as of period end.

(d) 

Security was purchased with the cash collateral from loaned securities.

(e) 

Investments in issuers considered to be an affiliate/affiliates of the Master LLC during the year ended March 31, 2020 for purposes of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, were as follows:

 

Affiliated Issuer   

Shares

Held at

03/31/19

    

Shares

Purchased

    

Shares

Sold

    

Shares

Held at
03/31/20

     Value at
03/31/20
     Income      Net
Realized
Gain
(Loss)(a)
     Change in
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

BlackRock Liquidity Funds, T-Fund, Institutional Class

     4,680,904        3,391,193 (b)              8,072,097      $ 8,072,097      $ 58,448      $ 6      $  

SL Liquidity Series, LLC,
Money Market Series

            16,029,626 (b)              16,029,626        16,026,420        35,742 (c)       (903      1,568  
              

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
               $ 24,098,517      $ 94,190      $ (897    $ 1,568  
              

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

Includes net capital gain distributions, if applicable.

 
  (b) 

Represents net shares purchased (sold).

 
  (c) 

Represents securities lending income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral from loaned securities, net of fees and collateral investment expenses, and other payments to and from borrowers of securities.

 

For Master LLC compliance purposes, the Master LLC’s industry classifications refer to one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or ratings group indexes, and/or as defined by the investment adviser. These definitions may not apply for purposes of this report, which may combine such industry sub-classifications for reporting ease.

 

Portfolio Abbreviation
CVR   Contingent Value Rights

Derivative Financial Instruments Outstanding as of Period End

Futures Contracts

 

Description   

Number

of

        Contracts        

    

Expiration

Date

    

Notional

Amount

(000)

    

Value/    

Unrealized  

Appreciation 

(Depreciation)

 

Long Contracts

             

S&P 500 E-Mini Index

     72            06/19/20        $9,251                     $ 662,635  
             

 

 

 

Derivative Financial Instruments Categorized by Risk Exposure

As of period end, the fair values of derivative financial instruments located in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities were as follows:

 

    Assets — Derivative Financial Instruments        

Commodity

Contracts

    

Credit

Contracts

     Equity
Contracts
    

Foreign

Currency

Exchange
Contracts

    

Interest

Rate

Contracts

     Other
Contracts
     Total      

    

 

Futures contracts

  Net unrealized appreciation(a)        $      $      $ 662,635      $      $      $      $ 662,635         
      

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

  (a) 

Net cumulative unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures contracts is reported in the Schedule of Investments. In the Statement of Assets and Liabilities, only current day’s variation margin is reported in receivables or payables and the net cumulative unrealized appreciation (depreciation) is included in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation).

 

For the year ended March 31, 2020, the effect of derivative financial instruments in the Statement of Operations were as follows:

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss) from:   

Commodity

Contracts

    

Credit

Contracts

    

Equity

Contracts

    

Foreign

Currency

Exchange
Contracts

    

Interest

Rate

Contracts

     Other
Contracts
     Total  

Futures contracts

   $      $      $ (1,436,232    $      $      $      $ (1,436,232
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
                    

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on:

                                                              

Futures contracts

   $      $      $ 624,058      $      $      $      $ 624,058  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

MASTER LLC SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS      25  


Schedule of Investments  (continued)

March 31, 2020

  

Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

 

Average Quarterly Balances of Outstanding Derivative Financial Instruments

 

Futures contracts:

        

Average notional value of contracts — long

   $ 4,986,634  

For more information about the Master LLC’s investment risks regarding derivative financial instruments, refer to the Notes to Financial Statements.

Fair Value Hierarchy as of Period End

Various inputs are used in determining the fair value of investments and derivative financial instruments. For information about the Master LLC’s policy regarding valuation of investments and derivative financial instruments, refer to the Notes to Financial Statements.

The following tables summarize the Master LLC’s investments and derivative financial instruments categorized in the disclosure hierarchy:

 

      Level 1        Level 2        Level 3        Total  

Assets:

                 

Investments:

                 

Long-Term Investments:

                 

Common Stocks(a)

   $         283,070,575        $        $        $         283,070,575  

Rights(a)

     34,101                            34,101  

Short-Term Securities

     8,072,097                            8,072,097  
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Subtotal

   $ 291,176,773        $        $        $ 291,176,773  
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Investments Valued at NAV(b)

                    16,026,420  
                 

 

 

 

Total Investments

                  $ 307,203,193  
                 

 

 

 

(a) See above Schedule of Investments for values in each industry.

(b) Certain investments of the Master LLC were fair valued using NAV per share as no quoted market value is available and therefore have been excluded from the fair value hierarchy.

  

  

      Level 1        Level 2        Level 3        Total  

Derivative Financial Instruments(a)

                 

Assets:

                 

Equity contracts

   $ 662,635        $                     —        $                     —        $ 662,635  
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

Derivative financial instruments are futures contracts. Futures contracts are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument.

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

26    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Statement of Assets and Liabilities

March 31, 2020

 

    

Master

Advantage U.S.
Total Market LLC

 

ASSETS

 

Investments at value — unaffiliated (including securities loaned at value of $15,623,836) (cost — $304,808,729)

  $ 283,104,676  

Investments at value — affiliated (cost $24,096,949)

    24,098,517  

Cash pledged for futures contracts

    885,000  

Receivables:

 

Investments sold

    4,280,909  

Securities lending income — affiliated

    6,500  

Dividends — affiliated

    2,460  

Dividends — unaffiliated

    287,697  

Prepaid expenses

    3,307  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    312,669,066  
 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

 

Bank overdraft

    11,385  

Cash collateral on securities loaned at value

    16,025,756  

Payables:

 

Investments purchased

    3,835,788  

Directors’ fees

    3,636  

Investment advisory fees

    81,158  

Other accrued expenses

    73,268  

Other affiliates

    2,628  

Variation margin on futures contracts

    144,868  

Withdrawals to investors

    844,240  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    21,022,727  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

  $ 291,646,339  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS CONSIST OF

 

Investors’ capital

  $ 312,686,249  

Net unrealized depreciation

    (21,039,910
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

  $         291,646,339  
 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

MASTER LLC FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      27  


 

Statement of Operations

Year Ended March 31, 2020

 

    

Master

Advantage U.S.

Total Market LLC

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

 

Dividends — unaffiliated

  $ 7,531,292  

Dividends — affiliated

    58,448  

Interest — unaffiliated

    182  

Securities lending income — affiliated — net

    35,742  

Foreign taxes withheld

    (987
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    7,624,677  
 

 

 

 

EXPENSES

 

Investment advisory

    1,987,658  

Accounting services

    63,851  

Professional

    55,564  

Custodian

    36,139  

Directors

    12,434  

Printing

    9,766  

Miscellaneous

    10,535  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    2,175,947  

Less fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager

    (466,562
 

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    1,709,385  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    5,915,292  
 

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS)

 

Net realized gain (loss) from:

 

Investments — unaffiliated

    12,440,576  

Investments — affiliated

    (903

Capital gain distributions from investment companies — affiliated

    6  

Foreign currency transactions

    2  

Futures contracts

    (1,436,232
 

 

 

 
    11,003,449  
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:

 

Investments — unaffiliated

    (42,773,480

Investments — affiliated

    1,568  

Foreign currency translations

    (23

Futures contracts

    624,058  
 

 

 

 
    (42,147,877
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized loss

    (31,144,428
 

 

 

 

NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS

  $         (25,229,136
 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

28    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

    Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC  
    Year Ended March 31,  
     2020             2019  

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS

      

OPERATIONS

      

Net investment income

  $ 5,915,292                 $ 7,125,403  

Net realized gain (loss)

    11,003,449          (2,300,573

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

    (42,147,877        25,823,752  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

    (25,229,136        30,648,582  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

CAPITAL TRANSACTIONS

      

Proceeds from contributions

    28,110,254          46,883,444  

Value of withdrawals

    (137,146,791        (159,636,160
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets derived from capital share transactions

    (109,036,537        (112,752,716
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

      

Total decrease in net assets

    (134,265,673        (82,104,134

Beginning of year

    425,912,012          508,016,146  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

End of year

  $         291,646,339        $         425,912,012  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

Financial Highlights

 

    Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC  
    Year Ended March 31,  
     2020             2019             2018             2017             2016         

TOTAL RETURN

                       

Total return

    (9.56 )%                  6.81        8.85        23.13        (7.59 )%   
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

   

RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS

                       

Total expenses

    0.55        0.54        0.55        0.55        0.55  
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

   

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    0.43        0.42        0.55        0.54        0.55  
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

   

Net investment income

    1.49        1.55        0.88 %(a)         0.59 %(b)         0.65  
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

   

SUPPLEMENTAL DATA

                       

Net assets, end of year (000)

  $     291,646        $     425,912        $     508,016        $     679,635        $     688,633    
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

   

Portfolio turnover rate

    123        142        147        68        71  
 

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

(a) 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets includes 0.20%, resulting from a special dividend.

(b) 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets includes 0.08%, resulting from a special dividend.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

MASTER LLC FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      29  


Notes to Financial Statements    Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

 

1.

ORGANIZATION

Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC (the “Master LLC”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Master LLC is classified as diversified. The Master LLC is organized as a Delaware limited liability company. The Master LLC’s Limited Liability Company Agreement permits the Board of Directors of the Master LLC (the “Board”) to issue non-transferable interests in the Master LLC, subject to certain limitations.

The Master LLC, together with certain other registered investment companies advised by BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Manager”) or its affiliates, is included in a complex of equity, multi-asset, index and money market funds referred to as the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex.

 

2.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), which may require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Master LLC is considered an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. Below is a summary of significant accounting policies:

Investment Transactions and Income Recognition: For financial reporting purposes, investment transactions are recorded on the dates the transactions are executed. Realized gains and losses on investment transactions are determined on the identified cost basis. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Dividends from foreign securities where the ex-dividend date may have passed are subsequently recorded when the Master LLC is informed of the ex-dividend date. Under the applicable foreign tax laws, a withholding tax at various rates may be imposed on capital gains, dividends and interest. Upon notification from issuers, a portion of the dividend income received from a real estate investment trust may be redesignated as a reduction of cost of the related investment and/or realized gain. Interest income, including amortization and accretion of premiums and discounts on debt securities is recognized on an accrual basis. .

Foreign Currency Translation: The Master LLC’s books and records are maintained in U.S. dollars. Securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates determined as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). Purchases and sales of investments are recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, the investments denominated in that currency will lose value; the opposite effect occurs if the U.S. dollar falls in relative value.

The Master LLC does not isolate the portion of the results of operations arising as a result of changes in the exchange rates from the changes in the market prices of investments held or sold for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, the effects of changes in exchange rates on investments are not segregated in the Statement of Operations from the effects of changes in market prices of those investments, but are included as a component of net realized and unrealized gain (loss) from investments. The Master LLC reports realized currency gains (losses) on foreign currency related transactions as components of net realized gain (loss) for financial reporting purposes, whereas such components are generally treated as ordinary income for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Segregation and Collateralization: In cases where the Master LLC enters into certain investments (e.g., futures contracts) that would be treated as “senior securities” for 1940 Act purposes, the Master LLC may segregate or designate on its books and records cash or liquid assets having a market value at least equal to the amount of its future obligations under such investments. Doing so allows the investment to be excluded from treatment as a “senior security.” Furthermore, if required by an exchange or counterparty agreement, the Master LLC may be required to deliver/deposit cash and/or securities to/with an exchange, or broker-dealer or custodian as collateral for certain investments or obligations.

Indemnifications: In the normal course of business, the Master LLC enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations that provide general indemnification. The Master LLC’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown because it involves future potential claims against the Master LLC, which cannot be predicted with any certainty.

Other: Expenses directly related to the Master LLC are charged to the Master LLC. Other operating expenses shared by several funds, including other funds managed by the Manager, are prorated among those funds on the basis of relative net assets or other appropriate methods.

The Master LLC has an arrangement with its custodian whereby credits are earned on uninvested cash balances, which could be used to reduce custody fees and/or overdraft charges. The Master LLC may incur charges on certain uninvested cash balances and overdrafts, subject to certain conditions.

 

3.

INVESTMENT VALUATION AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Investment Valuation Policies: The Master LLC’s investments are valued at fair value (also referred to as “market value” within the financial statements) as of the close of trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) U.S. GAAP defines fair value as the price the Master LLC would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Master LLC determines the fair values of its financial instruments using various independent dealers or pricing services under policies approved by the Board. If a security’s market price is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately represent the fair value of the security, the security will be valued in accordance with a policy approved by the Board as reflecting fair value. The BlackRock Global Valuation Methodologies Committee (the “Global Valuation Committee”) is the committee formed by management to develop global pricing policies and procedures and to oversee the pricing function for all financial instruments.

Fair Value Inputs and Methodologies: The following methods and inputs are used to establish the fair value of the Master LLC’s assets and liabilities:

 

   

Equity investments traded on a recognized securities exchange are valued at the official closing price each day, if available. For equity investments traded on more than one exchange, the official closing price on the exchange where the stock is primarily traded is used. Equity investments traded on a recognized exchange for which there were no sales on that day may be valued at the last available bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price.

 

 

30    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)    Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

 

Generally, trading in foreign instruments is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of trading on the NYSE. Occasionally, events affecting the values of such instruments may occur between the foreign market close and the close of trading on the NYSE that may not be reflected in the computation of the Master LLC’s net assets. Each business day, the Master LLC uses a pricing service to assist with the valuation of certain foreign exchange-traded equity securities and foreign exchange-traded and over-the-counter (“OTC”) options (the “Systematic Fair Value Price”). Using current market factors, the Systematic Fair Value Price is designed to value such foreign securities and foreign options at fair value as of the close of trading on the NYSE, which follows the close of the local markets.

 

   

Investments in open-end U.S. mutual funds are valued at net asset value (“NAV”) each business day.

 

   

The Master LLC values its investment in SL Liquidity Series, LLC, Money Market Series (the “Money Market Series”) at fair value, which is ordinarily based upon its pro rata ownership in the underlying fund’s net assets. The Money Market Series seeks current income consistent with maintaining liquidity and preserving capital. Although the Money Market Series is not registered under the 1940 Act, its investments may follow the parameters of investments by a money market fund that is subject to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act.

 

   

Futures contracts traded on exchanges are valued at their last sale price.

If events (e.g., a company announcement, market volatility or a natural disaster) occur that are expected to materially affect the value of such investments, or in the event that the application of these methods of valuation results in a price for an investment that is deemed not to be representative of the market value of such investment, or if a price is not available, the investment will be valued by the Global Valuation Committee, or its delegate, in accordance with a policy approved by the Board as reflecting fair value (“Fair Valued Investments”). The fair valuation approaches that may be used by the Global Valuation Committee will include market approach, income approach and cost approach. Valuation techniques such as discounted cash flow, use of market comparables and matrix pricing are types of valuation approaches and are typically used in determining fair value. When determining the price for Fair Valued Investments, the Global Valuation Committee, or its delegate, seeks to determine the price that the Master LLC might reasonably expect to receive or pay from the current sale or purchase of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction. Fair value determinations shall be based upon all available factors that the Global Valuation Committee, or its delegate, deems relevant and consistent with the principles of fair value measurement. The pricing of all Fair Valued Investments is subsequently reported to the Board or a committee thereof on a quarterly basis.

Fair Value Hierarchy: Various inputs are used in determining the fair value of investments and derivative financial instruments. These inputs to valuation techniques are categorized into a fair value hierarchy consisting of three broad levels for financial statement purposes as follows:

 

   

Level 1 — Unadjusted price quotations in active markets/exchanges for identical assets or liabilities that the Master LLC has the ability to access

 

   

Level 2 — Other observable inputs (including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in markets that are active, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the assets or liabilities (such as interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks and default rates) or other market-corroborated inputs)

 

   

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs based on the best information available in the circumstances, to the extent observable inputs are not available (including the Global Valuation Committee’s assumptions used in determining the fair value of investments and derivative financial instruments) The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3. The inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the fair value hierarchy classification is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. Investments classified within Level 3 have significant unobservable inputs used by the Global Valuation Committee in determining the price for Fair Valued Investments. Level 3 investments include equity or debt issued by privately held companies or funds. There may not be a secondary market, and/or there are a limited number of investors. The categorization of a value determined for investments and derivative financial instruments is based on the pricing transparency of the investments and derivative financial instruments and is not necessarily an indication of the risks associated with investing in those securities.

As of March 31, 2020, certain investments of the Master LLC were fair valued using NAV per share as no quoted market value is available and therefore have been excluded from the fair value hierarchy.

 

4.

SECURITIES AND OTHER INVESTMENTS

Securities Lending: The Master LLC may lend its securities to approved borrowers, such as brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. The borrower pledges and maintains with the Master LLC collateral consisting of cash, an irrevocable letter of credit issued by a bank, or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. The initial collateral received by the Master LLC is required to have a value of at least 102% of the current value of the loaned securities for securities traded on U.S. exchanges and a value of at least 105% for all other securities. The collateral is maintained thereafter at a value equal to at least 100% of the current market value of the securities on loan. The market value of the loaned securities is determined at the close of each business day of the Master LLC and any additional required collateral is delivered to the Master LLC, or excess collateral returned by the Master LLC, on the next business day. During the term of the loan, the Master LLC is entitled to all distributions made on or in respect of the loaned securities, but does not receive interest income on securities received as collateral. Loans of securities are terminable at any time and the borrower, after notice, is required to return borrowed securities within the standard time period for settlement of securities transactions.

The market value of any securities on loan, all of which were classified as common stocks in the Master LLC’s Schedule of Investments, and the value of any related collateral are shown separately in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as a component of investments at value — unaffiliated, and collateral on securities loaned at value, respectively. As of period end, any securities on loan were collateralized by cash and/or U.S. Government obligations. Cash collateral invested by the securities lending agent, BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BIM”), if any, is disclosed in the Schedule of Investments.

Securities lending transactions are entered into by the Master LLC under Master Securities Lending Agreements (each, an “MSLA”), which provide the right, in the event of default (including bankruptcy or insolvency), for the non-defaulting party to liquidate the collateral and calculate a net exposure to the defaulting party or request additional

 

 

MASTER LLC NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      31  


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)    Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

 

collateral. In the event that a borrower defaults, the Master LLC, as lender, would offset the market value of the collateral received against the market value of the securities loaned. When the value of the collateral is greater than that of the market value of the securities loaned, the lender is left with a net amount payable to the defaulting party. However, bankruptcy or insolvency laws of a particular jurisdiction may impose restrictions on or prohibitions against such a right of offset in the event of an MSLA counterparty’s bankruptcy or insolvency. Under the MSLA, absent an event of default, the borrower can resell or re-pledge the loaned securities, and the Master LLC can reinvest cash collateral received in connection with loaned securities. Upon an event of default, the parties’ obligations to return the securities or collateral to the other party are extinguished, and the parties can resell or re-pledge the loaned securities or the collateral received in connection with the loaned securities in order to satisfy the defaulting party’s net payment obligation for all transactions under the MSLA. The defaulting party remains liable for any deficiency.

As of period end, the following table is a summary of the Master LLC’s securities lending agreements by counterparty which are subject to offset under an MSLA:

 

Counterparty   

Securities

Loaned

at Value

    

Cash

Collateral

Received(a)

    

Net

Amount(b)

 

BofA Securities, Inc.

   $ 22,472      $ (22,472    $  

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

     832,258        (810,998      21,260  

Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc.

     295,758        (295,758       

Goldman Sachs & Co.

     12,817,073        (12,817,073       

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

     1,143,764        (1,143,764       

National Finance Services LLC

     61,825        (61,722      103  

State Street Bank & Trust Company

     450,686        (450,686       
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 15,623,836      $ (15,602,473    $ 21,363  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

Collateral received in excess of the market value of securities on loan is not presented in this table. The total cash collateral received by the Master LLC is disclosed in the Master LLC’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

 
  (b) 

The market value of the loaned securities is determined as of March 31, 2020. Additional collateral is delivered to the Fund on the next business day in accordance with the MSLA. The net amount would be subject to the borrower default indemnity in the event of default by the counterparty.

 

The risks of securities lending include the risk that the borrower may not provide additional collateral when required or may not return the securities when due. To mitigate these risks, the Master LLC benefits from a borrower default indemnity provided by BIM. BIM’s indemnity allows for full replacement of the securities loaned to the extent the collateral received does not cover the value on the securities loaned in the event of borrower default. The Master LLC could incur a loss if the value of an investment purchased with cash collateral falls below the market value of loaned securities or if the value of an investment purchased with cash collateral falls below the value of the original cash collateral received. Such losses are borne entirely by the Master LLC.

 

5.

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Master LLC engages in various portfolio investment strategies using derivative contracts both to increase the returns of the Master LLC and/or to manage its exposure to certain risks such as credit risk, equity risk, interest rate risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk, commodity price risk or other risks (e.g., inflation risk). Derivative financial instruments categorized by risk exposure are included in the Schedule of Investments. These contracts may be transacted on an exchange or OTC.

Futures Contracts: Futures contracts are purchased or sold to gain exposure to, or manage exposure to, changes in interest rates (interest rate risk) and changes in the value of equity securities (equity risk) or foreign currencies (foreign currency exchange rate risk).

Futures contracts are agreements between the Master LLC and a counterparty to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying instrument at a specified price and on a specified date. Depending on the terms of a contract, it is settled either through physical delivery of the underlying instrument on the settlement date or by payment of a cash amount on the settlement date. Upon entering into a futures contract, the Master LLC is required to deposit initial margin with the broker in the form of cash or securities in an amount that varies depending on a contract’s size and risk profile. The initial margin deposit must then be maintained at an established level over the life of the contract. Amounts pledged, which are considered restricted, are included in cash pledged for futures contracts in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

Securities deposited as initial margin are designated in the Schedule of Investments and cash deposited, if any, are shown as cash pledged for futures contracts in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Pursuant to the contract, the Master LLC agrees to receive from or pay to the broker an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in market value of the contract (“variation margin”). Variation margin is recorded as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) and, if any, shown as variation margin receivable (or payable) on futures contracts in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. When the contract is closed, a realized gain or loss is recorded in the Statement of Operations equal to the difference between the notional amount of the contract at the time it was opened and the notional amount at the time it was closed. The use of futures contracts involves the risk of an imperfect correlation in the movements in the price of futures contracts and interest, foreign currency exchange rates or underlying assets.

 

6.

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Investment Advisory: The Master LLC entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement with the Manager, the Master LLC’s investment adviser and an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”), to provide investment advisory and administrative services. The Manager is responsible for the management of the Master LLC’s portfolio and provides the personnel, facilities, equipment and certain other services necessary to the operations of the Master LLC.

 

 

32    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)    Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

 

For such services, the Master LLC pays the Manager a monthly fee at an annual rate equal to the following percentages of the average daily value of the Master LLC’s net assets:

 

 

 
Average Daily Net Assets    Investment
Advisory Fee
 

 

 

First $1 Billion

     0.500

$1 Billion — $1.5 Billion

     0.475  

Greater than $1.5 Billion

     0.450  

 

 

Expense Waivers and Reimbursements: With respect to the Master LLC, the Manager voluntarily agreed to waive its investment advisory fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Master LLC pays to the Manager indirectly through its investment in affiliated money market funds (the “affiliated money market fund waiver”). This amount is included in fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager in the Statement of Operations. However, the Manager does not waive its investment advisory fees by the amount of investment advisory fees paid in connection with the Master LLC’s investments in other affiliated investment companies, if any. For the year ended March 31, 2020, the amount waived was $2,436.

The Manager has contractually agreed to waive its investment advisory fee with respect to any portion of the Master LLC’s assets invested in affiliated equity and fixed-income mutual funds and affiliated exchange-traded funds that have a contractual management fee through July 31, 2020. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the directors who are not “interested persons” of the Master LLC, as defined in the 1940 Act (“Independent Directors”), or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Master LLC. For the year ended March 31, 2020, there were no fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager pursuant to this arrangement.

The Manager has also voluntarily agreed to waive its investment advisory fees by the amount of investment advisory fees to enable the feeder that invests in the Master LLC to limit expenses, if applicable. The Manager may discontinue this voluntary waiver at any time. The amount waived is included in fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager in the Statement of Operations. For the year ended March 31, 2020, the amount waived and/or reimbursed was $464,126.

For the year ended March 31, 2020, the Master LLC reimbursed the Manager $5,018 for certain accounting services, which is included in accounting services in the Statement of Operations.

Securities Lending: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has issued an exemptive order which permits BIM, an affiliate of the Manager, to serve as securities lending agent for the Master LLC, subject to applicable conditions. As securities lending agent, BIM bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. The Master LLC is responsible for expenses in connection with the investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan (the “collateral investment expenses”). The cash collateral is invested in a private investment company managed by the Manager or its affiliates. However, BIM has agreed to cap the collateral investment expenses of the private investment company to an annual rate of 0.04%. The investment adviser to the private investment company will not charge any advisory fees with respect to shares purchased by the Master LLC. The private investment company in which the cash collateral has been invested may, under certain circumstances, impose a liquidity fee of up to 2% of the value withdrawn or temporarily restrict withdrawals for up to 10 business days during a 90 day period, in the event that the private investment company’s weekly liquid assets fall below certain thresholds.

Securities lending income is equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral, net of fees and other payments to and from borrowers of securities, and less the collateral investment expenses. The Master LLC retains a portion of securities lending income and remits a remaining portion to BIM as compensation for its services as securities lending agent.

Pursuant to the current securities lending agreement, the Master LLC retains 75% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment expenses), and this amount retained can never be less than 70% of the total of securities lending income plus the collateral investment expenses.

In addition, commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income earned across the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex in a calendar year exceeds a specified threshold, the Master LLC, pursuant to the securities lending agreement, will retain for the remainder of that calendar year securities lending income in an amount equal to 80% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment expenses), and this amount retained can never be less than 70% of the total of securities lending income plus the collateral investment expenses.

Prior to January 1, 2020, the Master LLC retained 73.5% of securities lending income (which excluded collateral investment expenses) and the amount retained could never be less than 70% of the total of securities lending income plus the collateral investment expenses. In addition, commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income earned across the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex in a calendar year exceeded a specified threshold, the Fund would retain for the remainder of that calendar year 80% of securities lending income (which excluded collateral investment expenses), and the amount retained could never be less than 70% of the total of securities lending income plus the collateral investment expenses.

The share of securities lending income earned by the Master LLC is shown as securities lending income — affiliated — net in the Statement of Operations. For the year ended March 31, 2020, the Master LLC paid BIM $12,335 for securities lending agent services.

Interfund Lending: In accordance with an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC, the Master LLC may participate in a joint lending and borrowing facility for temporary purposes (the “Interfund Lending Program”), subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the Order, and to the extent permitted by the Master LLC’s investment policies and restrictions. The Master LLC is currently permitted to borrow and lend under the Interfund Lending Program.

A lending BlackRock fund may lend in aggregate up to 15% of its net assets, but may not lend more than 5% of its net assets to any one borrowing fund through the Interfund Lending Program. A borrowing BlackRock fund may not borrow through the Interfund Lending Program or from any other source more than 33 1/3% of its total assets (or any lower threshold provided for by the fund’s investment restrictions). If a borrowing BlackRock fund’s total outstanding borrowings exceed 10% of its total assets, each of its outstanding interfund loans will be subject to collateralization of at least 102% of the outstanding principal value of the loan. All interfund loans are for temporary or emergency purposes and the interest rate to be charged will be the average of the highest current overnight repurchase agreement rate available to a lending fund and the bank loan

 

 

MASTER LLC NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      33  


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)    Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

 

rate, as calculated according to a formula established by the Board.

During the year ended March 31, 2020, the Master LLC did not participate in the Interfund Lending Program.

Directors and Officers: Certain directors and/or officers of the Master LLC are directors and/or officers of BlackRock or its affiliates.

 

7.

PURCHASES AND SALES

For the year ended March 31, 2020, purchases and sales of investments, excluding short-term securities, were $478,932,619 and $587,625,306, respectively.

 

8.

INCOME TAX INFORMATION

The Master LLC is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner for tax purposes. As such, the owner of the Master LLC is treated as the owner of the net assets, income, expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses of the Master LLC. Therefore, no U.S. federal income tax provision is required. It is intended that the Master LLC’s assets will be managed so the owner of the Master LLC can satisfy the requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

As of March 31, 2020, gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation for investments based on cost for U.S. federal income tax purposes were as follows:

 

 

 

Tax cost

   $ 331,822,641  
  

 

 

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 23,401,095  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (48,020,543
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized depreciation.

   $ (24,619,448
  

 

 

 

 

9.

BANK BORROWINGS

The Master LLC, along with certain other funds managed by the Manager and its affiliates (“Participating Funds”), is a party to a 364-day, $2.25 billion credit agreement with a group of lenders. Under this agreement, the Master LLC may borrow to fund shareholder redemptions. Excluding commitments designated for certain individual funds, the Participating Funds, including the Master LLC, can borrow up to an aggregate commitment amount of $1.75 billion at any time outstanding, subject to asset coverage and other limitations as specified in the agreement. The credit agreement has the following terms: a fee of 0.10% per annum on unused commitment amounts and interest at a rate equal to the higher of (a) one-month LIBOR (but, in any event, not less than 0.00%) on the date the loan is made plus 0.80% per annum or (b) the Fed Funds rate (but, in any event, not less than 0.00%) in effect from time to time plus 0.80% per annum on amounts borrowed. The agreement expires in April 2020 unless extended or renewed. Prior to April 18, 2019, Participating Funds paid an upfront commitment fee of 0.02% on the total commitment amounts, in addition to administration, legal and arrangement fees, which are included in miscellaneous expenses in the Statement of Operations. These fees were allocated among such funds based upon portions of the aggregate commitment available to them and relative net assets of Participating Funds. During the year ended March 31, 2020, the Master LLC did not borrow under the credit agreement.

 

10.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

In the normal course of business, the Master LLC invests in securities or other instruments and may enter into certain transactions, and such activities subject the Master LLC to various risks, including among others, fluctuations in the market (market risk) or failure of an issuer to meet all of its obligations. The value of securities or other instruments may also be affected by various factors, including, without limitation: (i) the general economy; (ii) the overall market as well as local, regional or global political and/or social instability; (iii) regulation, taxation or international tax treaties between various countries; or (iv) currency, interest rate and price fluctuations. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Master LLC and its investments. The Master LLC’s prospectus provides details of the risks to which the Master LLC is subject.

The Master LLC may be exposed to additional risks when reinvesting cash collateral in money market funds that do not seek to maintain a stable NAV per share of $1.00, which may be subject to redemption gates or liquidity fees under certain circumstances.

Valuation Risk: The market values of equities, such as common stocks and preferred securities or equity related investments, such as futures and options, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries. The Master LLC may invest in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Master LLC reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The Master LLC may experience difficulty in selling illiquid investments in a timely manner at the price that it believes the investments are worth. Prices may fluctuate widely over short or extended periods in response to company, market or economic news. Markets also tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. This volatility may cause the Master LLC’s NAV to experience significant increases or decreases over short periods of time. If there is a general decline in the securities and other markets, the NAV of the Master LLC may lose value, regardless of the individual results of the securities and other instruments in which the Master LLC invests.

An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus has developed into a global pandemic and has resulted in closing borders, quarantines, disruptions to supply chains and customer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this pandemic, and other global health crises that may arise in the future, could affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the market in general in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. This pandemic may result in substantial market volatility and may adversely impact the prices and liquidity of a fund’s investments. The impact of the pandemic may be short term or may last for an extended period of time.

Counterparty Credit Risk: The Master LLC may be exposed to counterparty credit risk, or the risk that an entity may fail to or be unable to perform on its commitments related to unsettled or open transactions. The Master LLC manages counterparty credit risk by entering into transactions only with counterparties that the Manager believes have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by monitoring the financial stability of those counterparties. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Master LLC to

 

 

34    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)    Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

 

market, issuer and counterparty credit risks, consist principally of financial instruments and receivables due from counterparties. The extent of the Master LLC’s exposure to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks with respect to these financial assets is approximately their value recorded in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities, less any collateral held by the Master LLC.

A derivative contract may suffer a mark-to-market loss if the value of the contract decreases due to an unfavorable change in the market rates or values of the underlying instrument. Losses can also occur if the counterparty does not perform under the contract.

With exchange-traded futures, there is less counterparty credit risk to the Master LLC since the exchange or clearinghouse, as counterparty to such instruments, guarantees against a possible default. The clearinghouse stands between the buyer and the seller of the contract; therefore, credit risk is limited to failure of the clearinghouse. While offset rights may exist under applicable law, the Master LLC does not have a contractual right of offset against a clearing broker or clearinghouse in the event of a default (including the bankruptcy or insolvency). Additionally, credit risk exists in exchange-traded futures with respect to initial and variation margin that is held in a clearing broker’s customer accounts. While clearing brokers are required to segregate customer margin from their own assets, in the event that a clearing broker becomes insolvent or goes into bankruptcy and at that time there is a shortfall in the aggregate amount of margin held by the clearing broker for all its clients, typically the shortfall would be allocated on a pro rata basis across all the clearing broker’s customers, potentially resulting in losses to the Master LLC.

 

11.

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Management’s evaluation of the impact of all subsequent events on the Master LLC’s financial statements was completed through the date the financial statements were issued and the following items were noted:

Effective April 16, 2020, the credit agreement was extended until April 2021 under the same terms.

 

 

MASTER LLC NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      35  


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm   

 

To the Investor and Board of Directors of Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC:

Opinion on the Financial Statements and Financial Highlights

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC (the “Fund”), including the schedule of investments, as of March 31, 2020, the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, and the related notes. In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of March 31, 2020, and the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements and financial highlights based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Fund is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements and financial highlights, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements and financial highlights. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements and financial highlights. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of March 31, 2020, by correspondence with the custodian and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Deloitte & Touche LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

May 22, 2020

We have served as the auditor of one or more BlackRock investment companies since 1992.

 

 

36    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Statement Regarding Liquidity Risk Management Program   

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Liquidity Rule”) to promote effective liquidity risk management throughout the open-end investment company industry, thereby reducing the risk that funds will be unable to meet their redemption obligations and mitigating dilution of the interests of fund shareholders.

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC met on November 12-13, 2019 (the “Meeting”) to review the liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) applicable to the BlackRock open-end funds, excluding money market funds (each, a “Fund”), pursuant to the Liquidity Rule. The Board has appointed BlackRock Advisors, LLC or BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BlackRock”), each an investment adviser to certain Funds, as the program administrator for each Fund’s Program, as applicable. BlackRock has delegated oversight of the Program to the 40 Act Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”). At the Meeting, the Committee, on behalf of BlackRock, provided the Board with a report that addressed the operation of the Program and assessed its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation, including the operation of each Fund’s Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”) where applicable, and any material changes to the Program (the “Report”). The Report covered the period from December 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The Report described the Program’s liquidity classification methodology for categorizing a Fund’s investments (including derivative transactions) into one of four liquidity buckets. It also described BlackRock’s methodology in establishing a Fund’s HLIM and noted that the Committee reviews and ratifies the HLIM assigned to each Fund no less frequently than annually.

The Report noted that the Program complied with the key factors for consideration under the Liquidity Rule for assessing, managing and periodically reviewing a Fund’s liquidity risk, as follows:

A. The Fund’s investment strategy and liquidity of portfolio investments during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions: During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether each Fund’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end fund structure with a focus on Funds with more significant and consistent holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. The Committee also factored a Fund’s concentration in an issuer into the liquidity classification methodology by taking issuer position sizes into account. Where a Fund participated in borrowings for investment purposes (such as tender option bonds and reverse repurchase agreements), such borrowings were factored into the Program’s calculation of a Fund’s liquidity bucketing. Derivative exposure was also considered in such calculation.

B. Short-term and long-term cash flow projections during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions: During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed historical net redemption activity and used this information as a component to establish each Fund’s reasonably anticipated trading size (“RATS”). Each Fund has adopted an in-kind redemption policy which may be utilized to meet larger redemption requests. The Committee may also take into consideration a Fund’s shareholder ownership concentration (which, depending on product type and distribution channel, may or may not be available), a Fund’s distribution channels, and the degree of certainty associated with a Fund’s short-term and long-term cash flow projections.

C. Holdings of cash and cash equivalents, as well as borrowing arrangements: The Committee considered the terms of the credit facility applicable to the Funds, the financial health of the institution providing the facility and the fact that the credit facility is shared among multiple Funds (including that a portion of the aggregate commitment amount is specifically designated for BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio and BlackRock Credit Strategies Income Fund, each a series of BlackRock Funds V). The Committee also considered other types of borrowing available to the Funds, such as the ability to use reverse repurchase agreements and interfund lending, as applicable.

There were no material changes to the Program during the Program Reporting Period. The Report provided to the Board stated that the Committee concluded that based on the operation of the functions, as described in the Report, the Program is operating as intended and is effective in implementing the requirements of the Liquidity Rule.

 

 

STATEMENT REGARDING LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM      37  


Director and Officer Information

 

Independent Directors(a)
         

Name

Year of Birth(b)

  

Position(s) Held

(Length of

Service)(c)

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years   

Number of BlackRock-Advised

Registered Investment Companies

(“RICs”) Consisting of Investment

Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen

  

Public Company
and Other

Investment

Company

Directorships Held
During Past Five

Years

Mark Stalnecker

1951

  

Chair of the Board and Director

(Since 2019)

   Chief Investment Officer, University of Delaware from 1999 to 2013; Trustee and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committees, Winterthur Museum and Country Estate from 2005 to 2016; Member of the Investment Committee, Delaware Public Employees’ Retirement System since 2002; Member of the Investment Committee, Christiana Care Health System from 2009 to 2017; Member of the Investment Committee, Delaware Community Foundation from 2013 to 2014; Director and Chair of the Audit Committee, SEI Private Trust Co. from 2001 to 2014.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   None

Bruce R. Bond

1946

  

Director

(Since 2007)

   Board Member, Amsphere Limited (software) since 2018; Trustee and Member of the Governance Committee, State Street Research Mutual Funds from 1997 to 2005; Board Member of Governance, Audit and Finance Committee, Avaya Inc. (computer equipment) from 2003 to 2007.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   None

Susan J. Carter

1956

  

Director

(Since 2019)

   Director, Pacific Pension Institute from 2014 to 2018; Advisory Board Member, Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship at Tuck School of Business since 1997; Senior Advisor, Commonfund Capital, Inc. (“CCI”) (investment adviser) in 2015; Chief Executive Officer, CCI from 2013 to 2014; President & Chief Executive Officer, CCI from 1997 to 2013; Advisory Board Member, Girls Who Invest from 2015 to 2018 and Board Member thereof since 2018; Advisory Board Member, Bridges Fund Management since 2016; Trustee, Financial Accounting Foundation since 2017; Practitioner Advisory Board Member, Private Capital Research Institute (“PCRI”) since 2017; Lecturer in the Practice of Management, Yale School of Management since 2019.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   None

Collette Chilton

1958

  

Director

(Since 2019)

   Chief Investment Officer, Williams College since 2006; Chief Investment Officer, Lucent Asset Management Corporation from 1998 to 2006.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   None

Neil A. Cotty

1954

  

Director

(Since 2019)

   Bank of America Corporation from 1996 to 2015, serving in various senior finance leadership roles, including Chief Accounting Officer from 2009 to 2015, Chief Financial Officer of Global Banking, Markets and Wealth Management from 2008 to 2009, Chief Accounting Officer from 2004 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Consumer Bank from 2003 to 2004, Chief Financial Officer of Global Corporate Investment Bank from 1999 to 2002.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   None

Lena G. Goldberg

1949

  

Director

(Since 2016)

   Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School, since 2008; Director, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. since 2013; FMR LLC/Fidelity Investments (financial services) from 1996 to 2008, serving in various senior roles including Executive Vice President—Strategic Corporate Initiatives and Executive Vice President and General Counsel; Partner, Sullivan & Worcester LLP from 1985 to 1996 and Associate thereof from 1979 to 1985.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   None

Henry R. Keizer

1956

  

Director

(Since 2016)

   Director, Park Indemnity Ltd. (captive insurer) since 2010; Director, MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation and MUFG Union Bank, N.A. (financial and bank holding company) from 2014 to 2016; Director, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants from 2009 to 2011; Director, KPMG LLP (audit, tax and advisory services) from 2004 to 2005 and 2010 to 2012; Director, KPMG International in 2012, Deputy Chairman and Chief Operating Officer thereof from 2010 to 2012 and U.S. Vice Chairman of Audit thereof from 2005 to 2010; Global Head of Audit, KPMGI (consortium of KPMG firms) from 2006 to 2010; Director, YMCA of Greater New York from 2006 to 2010.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   Hertz Global Holdings (car rental); Montpelier Re Holdings, Ltd. (publicly held property and casualty reinsurance) from 2013 until 2015; Sealed Air Corp.

Cynthia A. Montgomery

1952

  

Director

(Since 2019)

   Professor, Harvard Business School since 1989.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. (manufacturing)

 

 

38    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Director and Officer Information  (continued)

 

Independent Directors(a)
         

Name

Year of Birth(b)

  

Position(s) Held

(Length of

Service)(c)

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years   

Number of BlackRock-Advised

Registered Investment Companies

(“RICs”) Consisting of Investment

Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen

  

Public Company
and Other

Investment

Company

Directorships Held
During Past Five

Years

Donald C. Opatrny

1952

  

Director

(Since 2015)

   Trustee, Vice Chair, Member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Investment Committee, Cornell University since 2004; President, Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum from 2007 to 2014; Member of the Board and Investment Committee, University School from 2007 to 2018; Member of the Investment Committee, Mellon Foundation from 2009 to 2015; Trustee, Artstor (a Mellon Foundation affiliate) from 2010 to 2015; President and Trustee, the Center for the Arts, Jackson Hole from 2011 to 2018; Director, Athena Capital Advisors LLC (investment management firm) since 2013; Trustee and Chair of the Investment Committee, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole since 2014; Member of Affordable Housing Supply Board of Jackson, Wyoming since 2018; Member, Investment Funds Committee, State of Wyoming since 2017; Trustee, Phoenix Art Museum since 2018; Trustee, Arizona Community Foundation and Member of Investment Committee since 2020.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   None

Joseph P. Platt

1947

  

Director

(Since 2019)

   General Partner, Thorn Partners, LP (private investments) since 1998; Director, WQED Multi-Media (public broadcasting not-for-profit) since 2001; Chair, Basic Health International (non-profit) since 2015.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. (reinsurance company); Consol Energy Inc.

Kenneth L. Urish

1951

  

Director

(Since 2019)

   Managing Partner, Urish Popeck & Co., LLC (certified public accountants and consultants) since 1976; Past-Chairman of the Professional Ethics Committee of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Committee Member thereof since 2007; Member of External Advisory Board, The Pennsylvania State University Accounting Department since founding in 2001; Principal, UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors, LLC since 2013; Trustee, The Holy Family Institute from 2001 to 2010; President and Trustee, Pittsburgh Catholic Publishing Associates from 2003 to 2008; Director, Inter-Tel from 2006 to 2007.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   None

Claire A. Walton

1957

  

Director

(Since 2019)

   Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Liberty Square Asset Management, LP from 1998 to 2015; General Partner of Neon Liberty Capital Management, LLC since 2003; Director, Boston Hedge Fund Group from 2009 to 2018; Director, Woodstock Ski Runners since 2013; Director, Massachusetts Council on Economic Education from 2013 to 2015.   

36 RICs consisting of

151 Portfolios

   None

 

 

DIRECTOR AND OFFICER INFORMATION      39  


Director and Officer Information  (continued)

 

Interested Directors(a)(d)
         

Name

Year of Birth(b)

  

Position(s) Held

(Length of

Service)(c)

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years   

Number of BlackRock-Advised

Registered Investment Companies

(“RICs”) Consisting of Investment

Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen

  

Public Company
and Other

Investment

Company

Directorships

Held During Past
Five Years

Robert Fairbairn

1965

  

Director

(Since 2015)

   Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019; Member of BlackRock’s Global Executive and Global Operating Committees; Co-Chair of BlackRock’s Human Capital Committee; Senior Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2010 to 2019; oversaw BlackRock’s Strategic Partner Program and Strategic Product Management Group from 2012 to 2019; Member of the Board of Managers of BlackRock Investments, LLC from 2011 to 2018; Global Head of BlackRock’s Retail and iShares® businesses from 2012 to 2016.   

123 RICs consisting of

262 Portfolios

   None

John M.

Perlowski(e)

1964

  

Director

(Since 2015), President, and Chief Executive Officer

(Since 2010)

   Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Head of BlackRock Global Accounting and Product Services since 2009; Advisory Director of Family Resource Network (charitable foundation) since 2009.   

124 RICs consisting of

263 Portfolios

   None

(a) The address of each Director is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10055.

(b) Each Independent Director holds office until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies or until his or her earlier death, resignation, retirement or removal as provided by the Fund’s/Master LLC’s by-laws or charter or statute, or until December 31 of the year in which he or she turns 75. Directors who are “interested persons,” as defined in the 1940 Act, serve until their successor is duly elected and qualifies or until their earlier death, resignation, retirement or removal as provided by the Fund’s/Master LLC’s by-laws or statute, or until December 31 of the year in which they turn 72. The Board may determine to extend the terms of Independent Directors on a case-by-case basis, as appropriate.

(c)  Following the combination of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (“MLIM”) and BlackRock, Inc. in September 2006, the various legacy MLIM and legacy BlackRock fund boards were realigned and consolidated into three new fund boards in 2007. In addition, effective January 1, 2019, three BlackRock Fund Complexes were realigned and consolidated into two BlackRock Fund Complexes. As a result, although the chart shows the year that each Independent Director joined the Board, certain Independent Directors first became members of the boards of other BlackRock-advised Funds, legacy MLIM funds or legacy BlackRock funds as follows: Bruce R. Bond, 2005; Susan J. Carter, 2016; Collette Chilton, 2015; Neil A. Cotty, 2016; Cynthia A. Montgomery, 1994; Joseph P. Platt, 1999; Mark Stalnecker, 2015; Kenneth L. Urish, 1999; Claire A. Walton, 2016.

(d) Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are both “interested persons,” as defined in the 1940 Act, of the Fund/Master LLC based on their positions with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are also board members of the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex.

(e) Mr. Perlowski is also a trustee of the BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund.

 

 

40    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Director and Officer Information  (continued)

 

Officers Who Are Not Directors(a)
     

Name

Year of Birth(b)

  

Position(s) Held

(Length of

Service)

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years

Jennifer McGovern

1977

  

Vice President

(Since 2014)

   Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2011 to 2015; Head of Product Development and Oversight for BlackRock’s Strategic Product Management Group since 2019; Head of Product Structure and Oversight for BlackRock’s U.S. Wealth Advisory Group from 2013 to 2019.

Neal J. Andrews

1966

  

Chief Financial Officer

(Since 2007)

   Chief Financial Officer of the iShares® exchange traded funds from 2019 to 2020; Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006.

Jay M. Fife

1970

  

Treasurer

(Since 2007)

   Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2007.

Charles Park

1967

  

Chief Compliance Officer

(Since 2014)

   Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer for certain BlackRock-advised Funds from 2014 to 2015; Chief Compliance Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and the BlackRock-advised Funds in the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex and the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex since 2014; Principal of and Chief Compliance Officer for iShares® Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC since 2012 and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) since 2006; Chief Compliance Officer for the BFA-advised iShares® exchange traded funds since 2006; Chief Compliance Officer for BlackRock Asset Management International Inc. since 2012.

Lisa Belle

1968

  

Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer

(Since 2019)

   Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019; Global Financial Crime Head for Asset and Wealth Management of JP Morgan from 2013 to 2019; Managing Director of RBS Securities from 2012 to 2013; Head of Financial Crimes for Barclays Wealth Americas from 2010 to 2012.

Janey Ahn

1975

  

Secretary

(Since 2019)

   Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2018; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2017.

(a) The address of each Officer is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10055.

(b) Officers of the Fund/Master LLC serve at the pleasure of the Board.

Further information about the Fund’s/Master LLC’s Directors and Officers is available in the Fund’s/Master LLC’s Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained without charge by calling (800) 441-7762.

 

Effective December 31, 2019, Robert M. Hernandez retired as Director of the Fund/Master LLC.

 

Investment Adviser and Administrator

BlackRock Advisors, LLC

Wilmington, DE 19809

Accounting Agent and Transfer Agent

BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.

Wilmington, DE 19809

Custodian

The Bank of New York Mellon

New York, NY 10286

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Deloitte & Touche LLP

Boston, MA 02116

Distributor

BlackRock Investments, LLC

New York, NY 10022

Legal Counsel

Sidley Austin LLP

New York, NY 10019

Address of the Fund/Master LLC

100 Bellevue Parkway

Wilmington, DE 19809

 

 

 

DIRECTOR AND OFFICER INFORMATION      41  


Additional Information

 

General Information

Householding

The Fund will mail only one copy of shareholder documents, including prospectuses, annual and semi-annual reports and proxy statements, to shareholders with multiple accounts at the same address. This practice is commonly called “householding” and is intended to reduce expenses and eliminate duplicate mailings of shareholder documents. Mailings of your shareholder documents may be householded indefinitely unless you instruct us otherwise. If you do not want the mailing of these documents to be combined with those for other members of your household, please call the Fund at (800) 441-7762.

Availability of Quarterly Schedule of Investments

The Fund/Master LLC file their complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT, and for reporting periods ended prior to March 31, 2019, filed such information on Form N-Q. The Fund/Master LLC’s Forms N-PORT and N-Q are available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. The Fund/Master LLC’s Forms N-Q may also be obtained upon request and without charge by calling (800) 441-7762.

Availability of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund/Master LLC use to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available upon request and without charge (1) by calling (800) 441-7762; (2) at blackrock.com; and (3) on the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

Availability of Proxy Voting Record

Information about how the Fund/Master LLC voted proxies relating to securities held in the Fund/Master LLC’s portfolio during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available upon request and without charge (1) at blackrock.com; or by calling (800) 441-7762 and (2) on the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

BlackRock’s Mutual Fund Family

BlackRock offers a diverse lineup of open-end mutual funds crossing all investment styles and managed by experts in equity, fixed-income and tax-exempt investing. Visit blackrock.com for more information.

Shareholder Privileges

Account Information

Call us at (800) 441-7762 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM ET on any business day to get information about your account balances, recent transactions and share prices. You can also visit blackrock.com for more information.

Automatic Investment Plans

Investor class shareholders who want to invest regularly can arrange to have $50 or more automatically deducted from their checking or savings account and invested in any of the BlackRock funds.

Systematic Withdrawal Plans

Investor class shareholders can establish a systematic withdrawal plan and receive periodic payments of $50 or more from their BlackRock funds, as long as their account balance is at least $10,000.

Retirement Plans

Shareholders may make investments in conjunction with Traditional, Rollover, Roth, Coverdell, Simple IRAs, SEP IRAs and 403(b) Plans.

 

 

42    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Additional Information  (continued)

 

BlackRock Privacy Principles

BlackRock is committed to maintaining the privacy of its current and former fund investors and individual clients (collectively, “Clients”) and to safeguarding their non-public personal information. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information BlackRock collects, how we protect that information and why in certain cases we share such information with select parties.

If you are located in a jurisdiction where specific laws, rules or regulations require BlackRock to provide you with additional or different privacy-related rights beyond what is set forth below, then BlackRock will comply with those specific laws, rules or regulations.

BlackRock obtains or verifies personal non-public information from and about you from different sources, including the following: (i) information we receive from you or, if applicable, your financial intermediary, on applications, forms or other documents; (ii) information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others; (iii) information we receive from a consumer reporting agency; and (iv) from visits to our websites.

BlackRock does not sell or disclose to non-affiliated third parties any non-public personal information about its Clients, except as permitted by law or as is necessary to respond to regulatory requests or to service Client accounts. These non-affiliated third parties are required to protect the confidentiality and security of this information and to use it only for its intended purpose.

We may share information with our affiliates to service your account or to provide you with information about other BlackRock products or services that may be of interest to you. In addition, BlackRock restricts access to non-public personal information about its Clients to those BlackRock employees with a legitimate business need for the information. BlackRock maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that are designed to protect the non-public personal information of its Clients, including procedures relating to the proper storage and disposal of such information.

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION      43  


 

Want to know more?

blackrock.com | 800-441-7762

This report is intended for current holders. It is not authorized for use as an offer of sale or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of the Fund unless preceded or accompanied by the Fund’s current prospectus. Past performance results shown in this report should not be considered a representation of future performance. Investment returns and principal value of shares will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Statements and other information herein are as dated and are subject to change.

VO-3/20-AR

 

 

LOGO    LOGO


Item 2 –

Code of Ethics – Each registrant (or each, a “Fund” or together, the “Funds”) has adopted a code of ethics, as of the end of the period covered by this report, applicable to the registrants’ principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. During the period covered by this report, the code of ethics was amended to update certain information and to make other non-material changes. During the period covered by this report, there have been no waivers granted under the code of ethics. The registrants undertake to provide a copy of the code of ethics to any person upon request, without charge, who calls 1-800-441-7762.

 

Item 3 –

Audit Committee Financial Expert – Each registrant’s board of directors (the “board of directors”), has determined that (i) the registrant has the following audit committee financial experts serving on its audit committee and (ii) each audit committee financial expert is independent:

Neil A. Cotty

Robert M. Hernandez

Henry R. Keizer

Kenneth L. Urish

Claire A. Walton

Under applicable securities laws, a person determined to be an audit committee financial expert will not be deemed an “expert” for any purpose, including without limitation for the purposes of Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933, as a result of being designated or identified as an audit committee financial expert. The designation or identification of a person as an audit committee financial expert does not impose on such person any duties, obligations, or liabilities greater than the duties, obligations, and liabilities imposed on such person as a member of the audit committee and board of directors in the absence of such designation or identification. The designation or identification of a person as an audit committee financial expert does not affect the duties, obligations, or liability of any other member of the audit committee or board of directors.

 

Item 4 –

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

The following table presents fees billed by Deloitte & Touche LLP (“D&T”) in each of the last two fiscal years for the services rendered to the Funds:

 

      (a) Audit Fees    (b) Audit-Related Fees1    (c) Tax Fees2    (d) All Other Fees
Entity Name    Current    
Fiscal Year    
End    
   Previous    
Fiscal Year    
End    
   Current    
Fiscal Year    
End    
   Previous    
Fiscal Year    
End    
   Current    
Fiscal Year    
End    
   Previous    
Fiscal Year    
End    
   Current    
Fiscal Year    
End    
   Previous    
Fiscal Year     
End    
BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.    $8,160        $8,160        $0        $4,000        $13,900        $13,100        $0        $0    
Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC    $30,600        $36,618        $0        $0        $0        $0        $0        $0    

The following table presents fees billed by D&T that were required to be approved by each registrant’s audit committee (each a “Committee”) for services that relate directly to the operations or financial reporting of each Fund and that are rendered on behalf of BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Investment Adviser” or “BlackRock”) and entities controlling, controlled by, or under common control with BlackRock (not

 

2


including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser) that provide ongoing services to each Fund (“Affiliated Service Providers”):

 

      Current Fiscal Year End    Previous Fiscal Year End
(b) Audit-Related Fees1    $0    $0
(c) Tax Fees2    $0    $0
(d) All Other Fees3    $1,984,000    $2,050,500

1 The nature of the services includes assurance and related services reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of financial statements not included in Audit Fees, including accounting consultations, agreed-upon procedure reports, attestation reports, comfort letters, out-of-pocket expenses and internal control reviews not required by regulators.

2 The nature of the services includes tax compliance and/or tax preparation, including services relating to the filing or amendment of federal, state or local income tax returns, regulated investment company qualification reviews, taxable income and tax distribution calculations.

3 Non-audit fees of $1,984,000 and $2,050,500 for the current fiscal year and previous fiscal year, respectively, were paid to each Fund’s principal accountant in their entirety by BlackRock, in connection with services provided to the Affiliated Service Providers of each Fund and of certain other funds sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates for a service organization review and an accounting research tool subscription. These amounts represent aggregate fees paid by BlackRock and were not allocated on a per fund basis.

(e)(1) Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures:

The Committee has adopted policies and procedures with regard to the pre-approval of services. Audit, audit-related and tax compliance services provided to the registrants on an annual basis require specific pre-approval by the Committee. The Committee also must approve other non-audit services provided to the registrants and those non-audit services provided to the Investment Adviser and Affiliated Service Providers that relate directly to the operations and the financial reporting of the registrants. Certain of these non-audit services that the Committee believes are (a) consistent with the SEC’s auditor independence rules and (b) routine and recurring services that will not impair the independence of the independent accountants may be approved by the Committee without consideration on a specific case-by-case basis (“general pre-approval”). The term of any general pre-approval is 12 months from the date of the pre-approval, unless the Committee provides for a different period. Tax or other non-audit services provided to the registrants which have a direct impact on the operations or financial reporting of the registrants will only be deemed pre-approved provided that any individual project does not exceed $10,000 attributable to the registrants or $50,000 per project. For this purpose, multiple projects will be aggregated to determine if they exceed the previously mentioned cost levels.

Any proposed services exceeding the pre-approved cost levels will require specific pre-approval by the Committee, as will any other services not subject to general pre-approval (e.g., unanticipated but permissible services). The Committee is informed of each service approved subject to general pre-approval at the next regularly scheduled in-person board meeting. At this meeting, an analysis of such services is presented to the Committee for ratification. The Committee may delegate to the Committee Chairman the authority to approve the provision of and fees for any specific engagement of permitted non-audit services, including services exceeding pre-approved cost levels.

(e)(2) None of the services described in each of Items 4(b) through (d) were approved by the Committee pursuant to the de minimis exception in paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.

(f) Not Applicable

 

3


(g) The aggregate non-audit fees, defined as the sum of the fees shown under “Audit-Related Fees,” “Tax Fees” and “All Other Fees,” paid to the accountant for services rendered by the accountant to the registrants, the Investment Adviser and the Affiliated Service Providers were:

 

Entity Name    Current Fiscal Year        
End         
   Previous Fiscal Year        
End        
BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.    $13,900            $17,100        
Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC    $0            $0        

Additionally, the amounts billed by D&T in connection with services provided to the Affiliated Service Providers of the Fund and of other funds sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates during the current and previous fiscal years for a service organization review and accounting research subscription tool were:

 

Current Fiscal Year    
End    
   Previous Fiscal Year        
End        

$1,984,000    

   $2,050,500        

These amounts represent aggregate fees paid by BlackRock and were not allocated on a per fund basis.

(h) The Committee has considered and determined that the provision of non-audit services that were rendered to the Investment Adviser and the Affiliated Service Providers that were not pre-approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X is compatible with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.

 

Item 5 –

Audit Committee of Listed Registrants – Not Applicable

 

Item 6 –

Investments

(a) The registrants’ Schedules of Investments are included as part of the Report to Stockholders filed under Item 1 of this Form.

(b) Not Applicable due to no such divestments during the semi-annual period covered since the previous Form N-CSR filing.

 

Item 7 –

Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable

 

Item 8 –

Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable

 

Item 9 –

Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers – Not Applicable

 

Item 10 –

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders – There have been no material changes to these procedures.

 

4


Item 11 –

Controls and Procedures

(a) The registrants’ principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the registrants’ disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) are effective as of a date within 90 days of the filing of this report based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(b) There were no changes in the registrants’ internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act) that occurred during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrants’ internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 12 –

Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable

 

Item 13 –

Exhibits attached hereto

(a)(1) Code of Ethics – See Item 2

(a)(2) – Section 302 Certifications are attached

(a)(3) Not Applicable

(a)(4) Not Applicable

(b) – Section 906 Certifications are attached

 

5


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, each registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

 

By:   /s/ John M. Perlowski                        
  John M. Perlowski
  Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of
  BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

Date: June 4, 2020

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 each registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By:   /s/ John M. Perlowski                        
  John M. Perlowski
  Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of
  BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

Date: June 4, 2020

By:   /s/ Neal J. Andrews                        
  Neal J. Andrews
  Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of
  BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

Date: June 4, 2020

 

6

EX-99. CERT

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 30a-2(a) UNDER THE 1940 ACT AND SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

 

I, John M. Perlowski, Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC, certify that:

1.        I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC;

2.        Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.        Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required to include a statement of cash flows) of the registrants as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.        The registrants’ other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrants and have:

a)        designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrants, including their consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b)        designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c)        evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants’ disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this report based on such evaluation; and

d)        disclosed in this report any change in the registrants’ internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrants’ internal control over financial reporting; and

5.        The registrants’ other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed to the registrants’ auditors and the audit committees of the registrants’ boards of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a)        all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrants’ ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information; and

b)        any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrants’ internal control over financial reporting.

Date: June 4, 2020

/s/ John M. Perlowski                        

John M. Perlowski

Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC


EX-99. CERT

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 30a-2(a) UNDER THE 1940 ACT AND SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

 

I, Neal J. Andrews, Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC, certify that:

1.        I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC;

2.        Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.        Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required to include a statement of cash flows) of the registrants as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.        The registrants’ other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrants and have:

a)        designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrants, including their consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b)        designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c)        evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants’ disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this report based on such evaluation; and

d)        disclosed in this report any change in the registrants’ internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrants’ internal control over financial reporting; and

5.    The registrants’ other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed to the registrants’ auditors and the audit committees of the registrants’ boards of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a)        all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrants’ ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information; and

b)        any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrants’ internal control over financial reporting.

Date: June 4, 2020

/s/ Neal J. Andrews                        

Neal J. Andrews

Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

Exhibit 99.906CERT

Certification Pursuant to Rule 30a-2(b) under the 1940 Act and

Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, the undersigned officer of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC (the “registrants”), hereby certifies, to the best of his knowledge, that the registrants’ Report on Form N-CSR for the period ended March 31, 2020 (the “Report”) fully complies with the requirements of Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and that the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the registrants.

Date: June 4, 2020

/s/ John M. Perlowski                        

John M. Perlowski

Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, the undersigned officer of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC (the “registrants”), hereby certifies, to the best of his knowledge, that the registrants’ Report on Form N-CSR for the period ended March 31, 2020 (the “Report”) fully complies with the requirements of Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and that the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the registrants.

Date: June 4, 2020

/s/ Neal J. Andrews                        

Neal J. Andrews

Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of

BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. and Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC

This certification is being furnished pursuant to Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and 18 U.S.C. § 1350 and is not being filed as part of the Form N-CSR with the Securities and Exchange Commission.