UNITEDSTATES

SECURITIESANDEXCHANGECOMMISSION

Washington,D.C.20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT

COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-05742

Name of Fund: BlackRock Funds

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

Fund Address: 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19809

Name and address of agent for service: John M. Perlowski, Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock Funds, 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (800) 441-7762

Date of fiscal year end: 1/31/2020

Date of reporting period: 1/31/2020

Item 1 – Report to Stockholders

 

 

LOGO   JANUARY 31, 2020

 

   2020 Annual Report

 

BlackRock FundsSM

 

·  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

 

 

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,

U.S. equities and bonds both delivered impressive returns over the last 12 months, 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. Investors were further encouraged by the apparent cessation of trade hostilities between the United States and China late in 2019, although some of these gains were reversed in January 2020, as the spread of the coronavirus injected uncertainty into markets.

Returns for most securities were particularly strong in the second half of the reporting period, as investors began to realize that the U.S. economy was maintaining the modest yet steady growth that has characterized this economic cycle. In the United States, large-cap stocks led the broader market, while small-cap equities still posted healthy returns. Emerging market stocks, however, were constrained by coronavirus fears, losing most of their gains near the end of the reporting period.

Fixed-income securities played an important role in diversified portfolios by delivering strong returns amid economic uncertainty, as interest rates declined (and bond prices rose). Long-term bonds, particularly long-term Treasuries, generally posted the strongest returns, as inflation remained low despite an uptick late in the reporting period. Investment-grade and high-yield corporate bonds also posted solid returns, as the credit fundamentals in corporate markets remained relatively solid.

Continuing the shift toward looser monetary policy that began in early 2019, the U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) increased efforts to stimulate economic activity. The Fed reduced interest rates three times during the reporting period, from July 2019 to October 2019. In December 2019, the Fed further reassured markets by indicating that it is unlikely to reverse course and tighten monetary policy in the near future. Following in the Fed’s footsteps, the European Central Bank announced aggressive economic stimulus measures, including lower interest rates and the return of its bond purchasing program. The Bank of Japan continued its accommodative monetary policy, while China committed to looser credit conditions and an increase in fiscal spending.

The outpouring of global economic stimulus led to a sharp rally in risk assets throughout the world despite the headwind of rising geopolitical and trade tensions. Hopes continued to remain high as the current economic expansion became the longest in U.S. history.

Looking ahead, we believe there are reasons to remain cautious about the U.S. economy, most notably the uncertainty around the duration of the impact of the coronavirus-driven economic contraction, the U.S. presidential election and future earnings growth.At this time we are watching the developments around the world very closely to assess the full extent of the risks of economic disruption that could result from the global pandemic. Corporate earnings underperformed in 2019, but action by the Fed led to outstanding equity returns. With the future of monetary policy and consumer behaviors uncertain, earnings deterioration could act as a drag on equities.

Overall, we favor moderately increasing investment risk to benefit from expected growth. We are neutral on U.S. equities, but we favor emerging market and Japanese equities, which could benefit from an uptick in global trade and investment. Increasing cyclical exposure through value-style investing and maintaining a meaningful emphasis on high-quality companies through quality factors also makes sense for diversified investors. In fixed income, extremely low yields and inflation risk limit the effectiveness of many bond classes as a counterweight in portfolios. We favor higher-yielding bonds from emerging markets, where central banks have more room for further accommodation, while strategically using U.S. Treasuries as stabilizers.

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 January 31, 2020
     6-month    12-month

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

  9.31%   21.68%

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

  3.26   9.21

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

  6.12   12.10

Emerging market equities
(MSCI Emerging Markets Index)

  3.36   3.81

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

  0.98   2.22

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

  5.13   12.15

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

  4.20   9.64

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

  3.08   8.21

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

  3.43   9.40
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  

Financial Statements:

  

Schedule of Investments

     7  

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

     11  

Statement of Operations

     12  

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

     13  

Financial Highlights

     14  

Notes to Financial Statements

     17  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     26  

Important Tax Information

     26  

Statement Regarding Liquidity Risk Management Program

     27  

Trustee and Officer Information

     28  

Additional Information

     32  

 

 

LOGO

 

 

          3  


Fund Summary  as of January 31, 2020    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Investment Objective

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund’s (the “Fund”) investment objective is to seek total return comprised of long-term growth of capital and dividend income.

Portfolio Management Commentary

How did the Fund perform?

For the 12-month period ended January 31, 2020, the Fund outperformed the benchmark, the FTSE EPRA Nareit United States Index.

What factors influenced performance?

During the period, holdings in the U.S. data center and triple net lease real estate investment trust (“REIT”) sectors, as well as in the lodging C-Corp segment, contributed positively relative to the benchmark. Principal individual contributors to relative performance included Equinix, Inc. (data centers), Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. (industrial), Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. (triple net lease) and Sun Communities, Inc. (residential-manufactured homes).

Conversely, positions in the residential-apartments and retail-shopping center REIT segments detracted from relative performance. In particular, positions in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (residential-apartments), Equity LifeStyle Properties (residential-manufactured homes), and Simon Property Group, Inc. (retail-mall) weighed on returns.

Describe recent portfolio activity.

Over the period, the Fund’s allocations within U.S. data center REITs, Europe ex-U.K. communications, as well as U.S. triple net lease and self storage REITs, were increased. Holdings within U.S. office, residential-manufactured homes, retail-shopping center, retail-mall, health care and tower REITs were reduced.

Describe portfolio positioning at period end.

As of period end, the Fund had overweight positions in the U.S. data center REIT, U.S. lodging C-Corp, Europe-ex U.K. communications, U.S. residential-manufactured homes and U.S. residential-single family housing REIT segments. The Fund was underweight in the U.S. health care, lodging, self storage, diversified, retail-shopping center, residential-student, retail-mall, office, residential-apartment, triple net lease and industrial REIT segments.

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.

Portfolio Information

 

TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS

 

Security(a)   Percent of
Net Assets
 

Prologis, Inc.

    8

Equinix, Inc.

    6  

Equity Residential

    5  

Simon Property Group, Inc.

    5  

Boston Properties, Inc.

    5  

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

    4  

Healthpeak Properties, Inc.

    4  

Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc.

    4  

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.

    4  

UDR, Inc.

    4  

 

  (a)

Excludes short-term investments.

 

INDUSTRY ALLOCATION

 

Industry   Percent of
Net Assets
 

Residential

    20

Triple Net Lease

    13  

Office

    13  

Industrial

    12  

Health Care

    10  

Retail

    10  

Specialty

    9  

Self Storage

    5  

Lodging

    5  

Diversified Telecommunication Services

    1  

Short-Term Securities

    3  

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets

    (1

For Fund compliance purposes, the Fund’s industry classifications refer to one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or rating 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.

 

 

 

4    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Fund Summary  as of January 31, 2020 (continued)    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

TOTAL RETURN BASED ON $10,000 INVESTMENT

 

LOGO

 

(a) 

Commencement of operations.

(b) 

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

(c) 

Under normal conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) in a portfolio of equity investments in issuers that are primarily engaged in or related to the real estate industry inside the United States.

(d) 

A subset of the EPRA Nareit Global Index and the EPRA Nareit North America Index containing publicly quoted real estate companies that meet the EPRA Ground Rules.

Performance Summary for the Period Ended January 31, 2020

 

                Average Annual Total Returns(a)  
                1 Year           5 Years           Since Inception(b)  
     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

    7.02       16.32     N/A         7.01     N/A         10.34     N/A  

Investor A

    6.91         16.09       10.00       6.74       5.59       10.06       9.26

Investor C

    6.56         15.21       14.21         5.96       5.96         9.25       9.25  

FTSE EPRA Nareit United States Index

    6.15               12.68       N/A               5.45       N/A               9.21       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.

 
  (b)

The Fund commenced operations on September 28, 2012.

 

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
(08/01/19)
 
 
 
    

Ending
Account Value
(01/31/20)
 
 
 
    
Expenses Paid
During the Period(a)
 
 
           

Beginning
Account Value
(08/01/19)
 
 
 
    

Ending
Account Value
(01/31/20)
 
 
 
    
Expenses Paid
During the Period(a)
 
 
      

Annualized
Expense
Ratio
 
 
 

Institutional

    $1,000.00        $1,070.20        $ 5.46         $1,000.00        $1,019.93        $ 5.33          1.05

Investor A

    1,000.00        1,069.10        6.77         1,000.00        1,018.66        6.61          1.30  

Investor C

    1,000.00        1,065.60        10.67         1,000.00        1,014.87        10.41          2.05  

 

  (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 184/365 (to reflect the one-half year period shown).

 
  (b) 

Hypothetical 5% annual return before expenses is calculated by prorating the number of days in the most recent fiscal half year divided by 365.

 

See “Disclosure of Expenses” on page 6 for further information on how expenses were calculated.

 

 

FUND SUMMARY      5  


About Fund Performance   

 

Institutional 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.

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.

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 table 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 “Manager”), the Fund’s investment adviser, has contractually and/or voluntarily agreed to waive and/or reimburse a portion of the Fund’s expenses. Without such waiver and/or reimbursement, the Fund’s performance would have been lower. With respect to the Fund’s voluntary waiver, the Manager is under no obligation to waive and/or reimburse or to continue waiving and/or reimbursing its fees and such voluntary waiver may be reduced or discontinued at any time. With respect to the Fund’s contractual waiver, the Manager is under no obligation to continue waiving and/or reimbursing its fees after the applicable termination date of such agreement. See Note 6 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 investment advisory fees, 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 August 1, 2019 and held through January 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 example 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 Fund 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 Fund’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 Fund can realize on an investment and/or may result in lower distributions paid to shareholders. The Fund’s investments in these instruments, if any, are discussed in detail in the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

6    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Schedule of Investments  

January 31, 2020

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

(Percentages shown are based on Net Assets)

 

Security   Shares     Value  

Common Stocks — 97.9%

   
Diversified Telecommunication Services — 1.0%        

Cellnex Telecom SA(a)

    55,647     $     2,767,623  
   

 

 

 
Health Care — 10.4%            

CareTrust REIT, Inc.

    41,333       916,766  

Healthcare Trust of America, Inc., Class A

    224,647       7,195,443  

Healthpeak Properties, Inc.

    294,563       10,601,322  

Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc.

    65,845       2,762,198  

Ventas, Inc.

    40,427       2,339,106  

Welltower, Inc.

    44,764       3,800,911  
   

 

 

 
      27,615,746  
Industrial — 12.0%            

Prologis, Inc.

    232,735       21,616,427  

Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc.

    214,164       10,320,563  
   

 

 

 
      31,936,990  
Lodging — 4.7%            

Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc.

    50,448       5,438,294  

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

    430,445       7,033,471  
   

 

 

 
      12,471,765  
Office — 13.0%            

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

    66,676       10,881,523  

Boston Properties, Inc.

    83,573       11,980,190  

Cousins Properties, Inc.

    160,280       6,560,260  

Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc.

    141,211       5,131,608  
   

 

 

 
      34,553,581  
Residential — 20.0%            

American Homes 4 Rent, Class A(b)

    266,551       7,284,839  

AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

    15,303       3,316,007  

Equity Residential

    163,124       13,552,342  

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.

    74,248       10,187,568  

Sun Communities, Inc.

    56,028       9,086,061  

UDR, Inc.

    202,054       9,680,407  
   

 

 

 
      53,107,224  
Retail — 9.7%            

Federal Realty Investment Trust

    40,902       5,113,568  

Regency Centers Corp.

    127,720       7,923,749  

Simon Property Group, Inc.

    95,588       12,727,542  
   

 

 

 
      25,764,859  
Security   Shares     Value  
Self Storage — 5.0%            

Extra Space Storage, Inc.

    77,654     $     8,594,745  

Life Storage, Inc.

    41,199       4,662,903  
   

 

 

 
      13,257,648  
Specialty — 8.6%            

CyrusOne, Inc.

    105,687       6,431,054  

Equinix, Inc.

    27,965       16,491,800  

InterXion Holding NV(c)

    515       44,821  
   

 

 

 
      22,967,675  
Triple Net Lease — 13.5%            

EPR Properties

    84,979       6,064,951  

Plymouth Industrial REIT, Inc.

    114,578       2,110,527  

Spirit Realty Capital, Inc.

    178,763       9,435,111  

STAG Industrial, Inc.

    114,501       3,691,512  

VEREIT, Inc.

    618,844       6,039,917  

VICI Properties, Inc.

    325,200       8,715,360  
   

 

 

 
      36,057,378  
   

 

 

 

Total Long-Term Investments — 97.9%
(Cost: $250,643,308)

      260,500,489  
   

 

 

 

Short-Term Securities — 3.5%

 

BlackRock Liquidity Funds, T-Fund,
Institutional Class,
    1.48%(d)(f)

    5,653,201       5,653,201  

SL Liquidity Series, LLC,
Money Market Series,
    1.71%(d)(e)(f)

    3,666,580       3,667,680  
   

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Securities — 3.5%
(Cost: $9,320,881)

 

    9,320,881  
   

 

 

 

Total Investments — 101.4%
(Cost: $259,964,189)

 

    269,821,370  

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets — (1.4)%

 

    (3,767,313
   

 

 

 

Net Assets — 100.0%

 

  $     266,054,057  
   

 

 

 
 

 

(a) 

Security exempt from registration pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration to qualified institutional investors.

(b) 

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

(c) 

Non-income producing security.

(d) 

Annualized 7-day yield as of period end.

(e) 

Security was purchased with the cash collateral from loaned securities.

(f) 

During the year ended January 31, 2020, investments in issuers considered to be an affiliate/affiliates of the Fund for purposes of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, were as follows:

 

Affiliate    Shares
Held at
01/31/19
     Net Activity      Shares
Held at
01/31/20
     Value at
01/31/20
     Income     

Net

Realized

Gain

(Loss)(a)

     Change in
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

BlackRock Liquidity Funds, T-Fund,
Institutional Class

     1,618,476        4,034,725        5,653,201      $ 5,653,201      $ 57,436                      $ 16                      $  

SL Liquidity Series, LLC, Money Market Series

            3,666,580        3,666,580        3,667,680        158 (b)                      
           

 

 

    

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

 
            $ 9,320,881      $ 57,594         $ 16         $  

 

  (a) 

Includes net capital gain distributions, if applicable.

 
  (b) 

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 Fund compliance purposes, the Fund’s industry classifications refer to one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or rating 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.

 

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS      7  


Schedule of Investments  (continued)

January 31, 2020

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

Currency Abbreviations
EUR    Euro
USD    US Dollar
Portfolio Abbreviations
OTC    Over-the-counter
REIT    Real Estate Investment Trust

Derivative Financial Instruments Outstanding as of Period End

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts

 

Currency

Purchased    

             

Currency

Sold

           Counterparty   

Settlement

Date

  

    Unrealized
    Appreciation
    (Depreciation)

 

USD

  2,597,582                EUR      2,318,000      Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC    04/15/20                        $ 14,824  
                      

 

 

 
                         14,824  
                      

 

 

 

EUR

  73,000       USD      81,482      Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC    04/15/20         (144
                      

 

 

 
                         (144
                      

 

 

 

Net Unrealized Appreciation

               $ 14,680  
                      

 

 

 

OTC Total Return Swaps(a)

 

Reference Entity    Counterparty    Termination
Date
     Net
Notional
     Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
     Net Value of
Reference
Entity
     Gross
Notional
Amount
Net Asset
Percentage
 

Equity Securities Long/Short

   Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC      06/09/20      $ 4,230,565                      $ 65,539      $ 4,296,104        1.6
              

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

  (a) 

The Fund receives the total return on a portfolio of long positions underlying the total return swap. In addition, the Fund pays a variable rate of interest, based on a specified benchmark, plus or minus a spread of 20 basis points. The benchmark and spread are determined based upon the country and/or currency of the individual underlying positions. The following is the specified benchmark used in determining the variable rate of interest:

 

U.S. Federal Funds Effective Rate

 

The following table represents the individual long positions and related values of equity securities underlying the total return swap with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as of period end, termination date 06/09/20:

 

Reference Entity — Long

     
Common Stocks   Shares     Value     % of
Basket Value
 
Health Care                  

CareTrust REIT, Inc.

    168,393     $ 3,734,957       86.9
   

 

 

   

Self Storage

     

Extra Space Storage, Inc.

    5,070       561,147       13.1
   

 

 

   
                         

Net Value of Reference
Entity — Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

          $ 4,296,104          

    

 

 

Balances Reported in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities for OTC Derivatives

 

     

Swap Premiums

Paid

    

Swap Premiums

Received

    

Unrealized

Appreciation

    

Unrealized

Depreciation

 

OTC Swaps

                                 $—                                    $—                                    $65,539                                    $—  
     

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

 

 

 

8    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Schedule of Investments  (continued)

January 31, 2020

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

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    

    

 

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

      
Unrealized appreciation on forward
foreign currency exchange contracts

     $      $      $      $ 14,824      $      $      $ 14,824       
 

Swaps — OTC

       Unrealized appreciation on OTC swaps                      65,539                             65,539  
           

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

   
            $      $      $ 65,539      $ 14,824      $      $      $ 80,363  
           

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

   
                                           
        Liabilities — Derivative Financial Instruments                                     
 

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

      
Unrealized depreciation on forward
foreign currency exchange contracts

       $—        $—        $—        $144        $—        $—        $144  
           

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

   

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

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss) from:    Commodity
Contracts
   Credit
Contracts
   Equity
Contracts
   Foreign
Currency
Exchange
Contracts
   Interest
Rate
Contracts
   Other
Contracts
   Total

Swaps

     $      $      $ (415,050 )      $      $      $      $ (415,050 )
    

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 
Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on:                                    

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

     $      $      $      $ 14,680      $      $      $ 14,680

Swaps

                     65,333                             65,333
    

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 
     $      $      $ 65,333      $ 14,680      $      $      $ 80,013
    

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Average Quarterly Balances of Outstanding Derivative Financial Instruments

 

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts:

        

Average amounts purchased — in USD

   $   649,396  

Average amounts sold — in USD

     20,371  

Total return swaps:

  

Average notional value

     2,319,336  

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

Derivative Financial Instruments — Offsetting as of Period End

The Fund’s derivative assets and liabilities (by type) were as follows:

 

      Assets      Liabilities  

Derivative Financial Instruments:

        

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

     $14,824           $144  

Swaps — OTC(a)

     65,539                     
  

 

 

       

 

 

 

Total derivative assets and liabilities in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities

     $80,363           $144  
  

 

 

       

 

 

 

Derivatives not subject to a Master Netting Agreement or similar agreement (“MNA”)

                
  

 

 

       

 

 

 

Total derivative assets and liabilities subject to an MNA

     $80,363           $144  
  

 

 

       

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

Includes unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on OTC swaps in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

 

 

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS      9  


Schedule of Investments  (continued)

January 31, 2020

  

BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund

 

The following tables present the Fund’s derivative assets and liabilities by counterparty net of amounts available for offset under an MNA and net of the related collateral received and pledged by the Fund:

 

Counterparty   

Derivative

Assets

Subject to

an MNA by

Counterparty

    

Derivatives
Available

for Offset(a)

    

Non-cash
Collateral
Received

    

Cash

Collateral

Received

    

Net Amount

of
Derivative
Assets(b)

 

Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC

   $ 14,824      $ (144)      $      $      $ 14,680  

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

                 65,539                            —                            —                            —                        65,539  

Total

   $ 80,363      $ (144    $      $      $ 80,219  
              
Counterparty   

Derivative
Liabilities
Subject to

an MNA by
Counterparty

    

Derivatives
Available

for Offset(a)

    

Non-cash
Collateral
Pledged

    

Cash Collateral
Pledged

    

Net Amount

of

Derivative
Liabilities

 

Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC

   $ 144      $ (144    $      $      $  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

The amount of derivatives available for offset is limited to the amount of derivative assets and/or liabilities that are subject to an MNA.

 
  (b) 

Net amount represents the net amount receivable from the counterparty in the event of default.

 

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 Fund’s policy regarding valuation of investments and derivative financial instruments, refer to the Notes to Financial Statements.

The following tables summarize the Fund’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:

           

Diversified Telecommunication Services

   $      $ 2,767,623      $      $ 2,767,623  

Health Care

     27,615,746                      27,615,746  

Industrial

     31,936,990                      31,936,990  

Lodging

     12,471,765                      12,471,765  

Office

     34,553,581                      34,553,581  

Residential

     53,107,224                      53,107,224  

Retail

     25,764,859                      25,764,859  

Self Storage

     13,257,648                      13,257,648  

Specialty

     22,967,675                      22,967,675  

Triple Net Lease

     36,057,378                      36,057,378  

Short-Term Securities

     5,653,201                      5,653,201  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Subtotal

   $         263,386,067      $         2,767,623      $                         —      $         266,153,690  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Investments Valued at NAV(a)

              3,667,680  
           

 

 

 

Total Investments

            $ 269,821,370  
           

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

Certain investments of the Fund 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

   $      $ 65,539      $      $ 65,539  

Foreign currency exchange contracts

            14,824               14,824  

Liabilities:

           

Foreign currency exchange contracts

            (144             (144
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $                         —      $             80,219      $                         —      $                 80,219  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

Derivative financial instruments are swaps and forward foreign currency exchange contracts. Swaps and forward foreign currency exchange contracts are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument.

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

10    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Statement of Assets and Liabilities

January 31, 2020

 

    

BlackRock

Real Estate

Securities Fund

 

ASSETS

 

Investments at value — unaffiliated (including securities loaned at value of $3,541,968) (cost — $250,643,308)

  $ 260,500,489  

Investments at value — affiliated (cost — $9,320,881)

    9,320,881  

Foreign currency at value (cost — $1,041)

    1,041  

Receivables:

 

Investments sold

    1,261,384  

Securities lending income — affiliated

    151  

Capital shares sold

    691,624  

Dividends — affiliated.

    12,046  

Dividends — unaffiliated

    89,723  

From the Manager

    24,322  

Unrealized appreciation on:

 

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

    14,824  

OTC swaps

    65,539  

Prepaid expenses

    25,945  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

        272,007,969  
 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

 

Cash collateral on securities loaned at value

    3,667,680  

Payables:

 

Investments purchased

    1,381,311  

Administration fees

    9,739  

Board realignment and consolidation

    1,418  

Capital shares redeemed

    570,815  

Investment advisory fees

    166,500  

Trustees’ and Officer’s fees

    1,967  

Other accrued expenses

    114,130  

Other affiliates

    758  

Service and distribution fees

    39,450  

Unrealized depreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

    144  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    5,953,912  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

  $     266,054,057  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS CONSIST OF

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 259,164,462  

Accumulated earnings

    6,889,595  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

  $ 266,054,057  
 

 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE

 

Institutional — Based on net assets of $84,936,780 and 5,848,056 shares outstanding, unlimited number of shares authorized, $0.001 par value

  $ 14.52  
 

 

 

 

Investor A — Based on net assets of $177,534,761 and 12,253,679 shares outstanding, unlimited number of shares authorized, $0.001 par value

  $ 14.49  
 

 

 

 

Investor C — Based on net assets of $3,582,516 and 249,044 shares outstanding, unlimited number of shares authorized, $0.001 par value

  $ 14.39  
 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      11  


 

Statement of Operations

Year Ended January 31, 2020

 

     BlackRock
Real Estate
Securities Fund
 

INVESTMENT INCOME

 

Dividends — unaffiliated

  $ 2,548,315  

Dividends — affiliated

    57,436  

Interest — unaffiliated

    185  

Securities lending income — affiliated — net

    158  
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    2,606,094  
 

 

 

 

EXPENSES

 

Investment advisory

    757,541  

Service and distribution — class specific

    179,728  

Transfer agent — class specific

    165,572  

Professional

    88,703  

Registration

    52,588  

Administration

    42,927  

Accounting services

    42,078  

Printing

    38,229  

Administration — class specific

    20,177  

Trustees and Officer

    11,356  

Custodian

    4,344  

Recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees — class specific

    1,672  

Miscellaneous

    10,879  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    1,415,794  

Less:

 

Fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager

    (94,574

Transfer agent fees waived and/or reimbursed — class specific

    (72,634

Administration fees waived — class specific

    (11,048
 

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

    1,237,538  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

            1,368,556  
 

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS)

 

Net realized gain (loss) from:

 

Investments — unaffiliated

    (1,629,627

Capital gain distributions from investment companies — affiliated

    16  

Foreign currency transactions

    1,145  

Swaps

    (415,050
 

 

 

 
    (2,043,516
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:

 

Investments — unaffiliated

    6,146,397  

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts

    14,680  

Swaps

    65,333  
 

 

 

 
    6,226,410  
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gain

    4,182,894  
 

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS

  $ 5,551,450  
 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

12    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

                BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund               
    Year Ended January 31,  
     2020     2019  

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS

   

OPERATIONS

   

Net investment income

  $ 1,368,556     $ 405,494  

Net realized gain (loss)

    (2,043,516     211,604  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

    6,226,410       2,348,692  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

    5,551,450       2,965,790  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS(a)

   

Institutional

    (901,529     (254,861

Investor A

    (1,264,274     (300,386

Investor C

    (33,972     (44,729
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Decrease in net assets resulting from distributions to shareholders

    (2,199,775     (599,976
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS

   

Net increase in net assets derived from capital share transactions

    232,395,330       5,487,776  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   

Total increase in net assets

    235,747,005       7,853,590  

Beginning of year

    30,307,052       22,453,462  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of year

  $     266,054,057     $     30,307,052  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a)

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

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      13  


Financial Highlights

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund  
    Institutional  
    Year Ended January 31,  
             2020        2019        2018        2017        2016  
             

Net asset value, beginning of year

       $ 12.73        $ 11.61        $ 12.43        $ 11.81        $ 13.71  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net investment income(a)

                  0.25          0.22          0.25          0.19          0.21  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

         1.81          1.25          0.12          1.33          (1.27
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

         2.06          1.47          0.37          1.52          (1.06
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Distributions(b)

                          

From net investment income

         (0.23        (0.35        (0.22        (0.20        (0.20

From net realized gain

         (0.04                 (0.97        (0.70        (0.64
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total distributions

         (0.27        (0.35        (1.19        (0.90        (0.84
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of year

       $ 14.52        $ 12.73        $ 11.61        $ 12.43        $ 11.81  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Return(c)

                          

Based on net asset value

         16.32        12.95        2.71        12.84        (7.85 )% 
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(d)

                          

Total expenses

         1.25 %(e)         1.95        1.49        1.36        1.39
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

         1.05        1.07        1.05        1.05        1.04
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net investment income

         1.74        1.87        1.94        1.44        1.66
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

                          

Net assets, end of year (000)

       $       84,937        $       13,470        $       9,069        $       15,041        $       9,593  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate

         63 %(f)          82 %(f)          103        118        86
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

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

(c) 

Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.

(d) 

Excludes expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds as follows:

 

    Year Ended January 31,  
                 2020        2019        2018        2017        2016  

Investments in underlying funds

                     0.01                    —                      —                      —                      —  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

(e) 

Includes recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees with no financial impact to the expense ratios.

(f) 

Excludes underlying investments in total return swaps.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

14    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Financial Highlights  (continued)

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund (continued)  
    Investor A  
    Year Ended January 31,  
             2020        2019        2018        2017           2016  
               

Net asset value, beginning of year

       $ 12.70        $ 11.58        $ 12.41        $ 11.79       $ 13.69  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income(a)

                  0.16          0.22          0.19          0.19         0.16  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

         1.87          1.22          0.14          1.30         (1.25
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

         2.03          1.44          0.33          1.49         (1.09
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions(b)

                         

From net investment income

         (0.20        (0.32        (0.19        (0.17       (0.17

From net realized gain

         (0.04                 (0.97        (0.70       (0.64
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total distributions

         (0.24        (0.32        (1.16        (0.87       (0.81
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of year

       $ 14.49        $ 12.70        $ 11.58        $ 12.41       $ 11.79  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Return(c)

                         

Based on net asset value

         16.09        12.70        2.34        12.57       (8.10 )% 
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(d)

                         

Total expenses

         1.44 %(e)          2.23        1.89        1.76       1.76
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

         1.30        1.32        1.30        1.30       1.30
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income

         1.11        1.85        1.54        1.45       1.27
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

                         

Net assets, end of year (000)

       $         177,535        $         14,391        $         10,885        $         20,949       $         19,641  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate

         63 %(f)          82 %(f)          103        118       86
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

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

(c) 

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

(d) 

Excludes expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds as follows:

 

    Year Ended January 31,  
               2020        2019      2018      2017      2016  

Investments in underlying funds

                              0.01                    —                    —                    —                    —  
      

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(e) 

Includes recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees with no financial impact to the expense ratio.

(f) 

Excludes underlying investments in total return swaps.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS      15  


Financial Highlights  (continued)

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund (continued)  
    Investor C  
    Year Ended January 31,  
             2020        2019        2018        2017           2016  
               

Net asset value, beginning of year

       $ 12.62        $ 11.50        $ 12.33        $ 11.72       $ 13.61  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income(a)

         0.16          0.15          0.10          0.09         0.05  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

                  1.75          1.20          0.13          1.30         (1.23
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) from investment operations

         1.91          1.35          0.23          1.39         (1.18
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Distributions(b)

                         

From net investment income

         (0.10        (0.23        (0.09        (0.08       (0.07

From net realized gain

         (0.04                 (0.97        (0.70       (0.64
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total distributions

         (0.14        (0.23        (1.06        (0.78       (0.71
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of year

       $ 14.39        $ 12.62        $ 11.50        $ 12.33       $ 11.72  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Return(c)

                         

Based on net asset value

         15.21        11.92        1.57        11.75       (8.76 )% 
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets(d)

                         

Total expenses

         2.49        3.14        2.74        2.57       2.61
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed

         2.05        2.07        2.05        2.05       2.05
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net investment income

         1.16        1.31        0.78        0.71       0.43
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

                         

Net assets, end of year (000)

       $         3,583        $         2,446        $         2,500        $         3,539       $     3,175  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Portfolio turnover rate

         63 %(e)          82 %(e)          103        118       86
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

(a) 

Based on average shares outstanding.

(b) 

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

(c) 

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

(d) 

Excludes expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds as follows:

 

    Year Ended January 31,  
               2020        2019        2018        2017      2016  

Investments in underlying funds

                              0.01                    —                      —                      —                    —  
      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(e)

Excludes underlying investments in total return swaps.

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

16    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Notes to Financial Statements

 

1.

ORGANIZATION

BlackRock FundsSM (the “Trust”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Trust is organized as a Massachusetts business trust. BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund (the “Fund”) is a series of the Trust. The Fund is classified as non-diversified.

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 Shares are sold only to certain eligible investors. Investor A and Investor C Shares bear certain expenses related to shareholder servicing of such shares, and Investor C Shares also bear certain expenses related to the distribution of such shares. Investor A and Investor C Shares are generally available through financial intermediaries. 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).

 

Share Class   Initial Sales Charge                    CDSC        Conversion Privilege

Institutional 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 “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 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, 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. 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. Income, expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated daily to each class based on its relative net assets.

Foreign Currency Translation: The Fund’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 Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund enters into certain investments (e.g., forward foreign currency exchange contracts and swaps) that would be treated as “senior securities” for 1940 Act purposes, the Fund 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 Fund 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.

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 Manager, 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.

 

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS    17


Notes to Financial Statements   (continued)

 

3.

INVESTMENT VALUATION AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Investment Valuation Policies: The Fund’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 Fund would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Fund determines the fair values of its financial instruments using various independent dealers or pricing services under policies approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”). 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 Fund’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.

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 Fund’s net assets. Each business day, the Fund 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 Fund 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.

 

   

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are valued at the mean between the bid and ask prices and are determined as of the close of trading on the NYSE based on that day’s prevailing forward exchange rate for the underlying currencies. Interpolated values are derived when the settlement date of the contract is an interim date for which quotations are not available.

 

   

Swap agreements are valued utilizing quotes received daily by the Fund’s pricing service or through brokers, which are derived using daily swap curves and models that incorporate a number of market data factors, such as discounted cash flows, trades and values of the underlying reference instruments.

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

 

 

18    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)

 

4.

SECURITIES AND OTHER INVESTMENTS

Securities Lending: The Fund may lend its securities to approved borrowers, such as brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. The borrower pledges and maintains with the Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund and any additional required collateral is delivered to the Fund, or excess collateral returned by the Fund, on the next business day. During the term of the loan, the Fund 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 Fund’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 Fund 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 collateral. In the event that a borrower defaults, the Fund, 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 Fund 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 Fund’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  

Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.

  $ 3,541,968      $ (3,541,968                   $  
 

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

  (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 Fund is disclosed in the Fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

 

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 Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund.

 

5.

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Fund engages in various portfolio investment strategies using derivative contracts both to increase the returns of the Fund 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.

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts: Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are entered into to gain or reduce exposure to foreign currencies (foreign currency exchange rate risk).

A forward foreign currency exchange contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a currency at a set exchange rate on a specified date. These contracts help to manage the overall exposure to the currencies in which some of the investments held by the Fund are denominated and in some cases, may be used to obtain exposure to a particular market.

The contract is marked-to-market daily and the change in market value is recorded as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. When a contract is closed, a realized gain or loss is recorded in the Statement of Operations equal to the difference between the value at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed. Non-deliverable forward foreign currency exchange contracts are settled with the counterparty in cash without the delivery of foreign currency. The use of forward foreign currency exchange contracts involves the risk that the value of a forward foreign currency exchange contract changes unfavorably due to movements in the value of the referenced foreign currencies, and such value may exceed the amounts reflected in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Cash amounts pledged for forward foreign currency exchange contracts are considered restricted and are included in cash pledged as collateral for OTC derivatives in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

 

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      19  


Notes to Financial Statements   (continued)

 

Swaps: Swap contracts are entered into to manage exposure to issuers, markets and securities. Such contracts are agreements between the Fund and a counterparty to make periodic net payments on a specified notional amount or a net payment upon termination. Swap agreements are privately negotiated in the OTC market and may be entered into as a bilateral contract (“OTC swaps”) or centrally cleared (“centrally cleared swaps”).

For OTC swaps, any upfront premiums paid and any upfront fees received are shown as swap premiums paid and swap premiums received, respectively, in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and amortized over the term of the contract. The daily fluctuation in market value is recorded as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on OTC Swaps in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Payments received or paid are recorded in the Statement of Operations as realized gains or losses, respectively. When an OTC swap is terminated, a realized gain or loss is recorded in the Statement of Operations equal to the difference between the proceeds from (or cost of) the closing transaction and the Fund’s basis in the contract, if any. Generally, the basis of the contract is the premium received or paid.

 

   

Total return swaps — Total return swaps are entered into to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning such security or investing directly in such market or to exchange the risk/return of one security or market (e.g., fixed-income) with another security or market (e.g., equity or commodity prices) (equity risk, commodity price risk and/or interest rate risk).

Total return swaps are agreements in which there is an exchange of cash flows whereby one party commits to make payments based on the total return (distributions plus capital gains/losses) of an underlying instrument, or basket of underlying instruments, in exchange for fixed or floating rate interest payments. If the total return of the instrument(s) or index underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the offsetting fixed or floating interest rate obligation, the Fund receives payment from or makes a payment to the counterparty.

Certain total return swaps are designed to function as a portfolio of direct investments in long and short equity positions. This means that the Fund has the ability to trade in and out of these long and short positions within the swap and will receive the economic benefits and risks equivalent to direct investment in these positions, subject to certain adjustments due to events related to the counterparty. Benefits and risks include capital appreciation (depreciation), corporate actions and dividends received and paid, all of which are reflected in the swap’s market value. The market value also includes interest charges and credits (“financing fees”) related to the notional values of the long and short positions and cash balances within the swap. These interest charges and credits are based on a specified benchmark rate plus or minus a specified spread determined based upon the country and/or currency of the positions in the portfolio.

Positions within the swap and financing fees are reset periodically. During a reset, any unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on positions and accrued financing fees become available for cash settlement between the Fund and the counterparty. The amounts that are available for cash settlement are recorded as realized gains or losses in the Statement of Operations. Cash settlement in and out of the swap may occur at a reset date or any other date, at the discretion of the Fund and the counterparty, over the life of the agreement. Certain swaps have no stated expiration and can be terminated by either party at any time.

Swap transactions involve, to varying degrees, elements of interest rate, credit and market risk in excess of the amounts recognized in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Such risks involve the possibility that there will be no liquid market for these agreements, that the counterparty to the agreements may default on its obligation to perform or disagree as to the meaning of the contractual terms in the agreements, and that there may be unfavorable changes in interest rates and/or market values associated with these transactions.

Master Netting Arrangements: In order to define its contractual rights and to secure rights that will help it mitigate its counterparty risk, the Fund may enter into an International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreement (“ISDA Master Agreement”) or similar agreement with its counterparties. An ISDA Master Agreement is a bilateral agreement between the Fund and a counterparty that governs certain OTC derivatives and typically contains, among other things, collateral posting terms and netting provisions in the event of a default and/or termination event. Under an ISDA Master Agreement, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, offset with the counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment. The provisions of the ISDA Master Agreement typically permit a single net payment in the event of default including the bankruptcy or insolvency of the counterparty. Bankruptcy or insolvency laws of a particular jurisdiction may restrict or prohibit the right of offset in bankruptcy, insolvency or other events.

Collateral Requirements: For derivatives traded under an ISDA Master Agreement, the collateral requirements are typically calculated by netting the mark-to-market amount for each transaction under such agreement and comparing that amount to the value of any collateral currently pledged by the Fund and the counterparty.

Cash collateral that has been pledged to cover obligations of the Fund and cash collateral received from the counterparty, if any, is reported separately in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as cash pledged as collateral and cash received as collateral, respectively. Non-cash collateral pledged by the Fund, if any, is noted in the Schedule of Investments. Generally, the amount of collateral due from or to a counterparty is subject to a certain minimum transfer amount threshold before a transfer is required, which is determined at the close of business of the Fund. Any additional required collateral is delivered to/pledged by the Fund on the next business day. Typically, the counterparty is not permitted to sell, re-pledge or use cash and non-cash collateral it receives. The Fund generally agrees not to use non-cash collateral that it receives but may, absent default or certain other circumstances defined in the underlying ISDA Master Agreement, be permitted to use cash collateral received. In such cases, interest may be paid pursuant to the collateral arrangement with the counterparty. To the extent amounts due to the Fund from its counterparties are not fully collateralized, it bears the risk of loss from counterparty non-performance. Likewise, to the extent the Fund has delivered collateral to a counterparty and stands ready to perform under the terms of its agreement with such counterparty, it bears the risk of loss from a counterparty in the amount of the value of the collateral in the event the counterparty fails to return such collateral. Based on the terms of agreements, collateral may not be required for all derivative contracts.

For financial reporting purposes, the Fund does not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to netting arrangements, if any, in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

 

6.

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

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

 

 

20    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)

 

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

 

 

 
Average Daily Net Assets    Investment Advisory Fee  

 

 

First $1 Billion

     0.75

$1 Billion — $3 Billion  

     0.71  

$3 Billion — $5 Billion  

     0.68  

$5 Billion — $10 Billion  

     0.65  

Greater than $10 Billion

     0.64  

 

 

The Manager entered into a sub-advisory agreement with BlackRock International Limited (“BIL”) and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (“BRS”) (collectively, the “Sub-Advisers”), each an affiliate of the Manager. The Manager pays BIL and BRS for services they provide for that portion of the Fund for which BIL and BRS, as applicable, acts as sub-adviser, a monthly fee that is equal to a percentage of the investment advisory fees paid by the Fund to the Manager.

Service and Distribution Fees: The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, entered into a Distribution Agreement and a Distribution and Service Plan with BlackRock Investments, LLC (“BRIL”), an affiliate of the Manager. Pursuant to the Distribution and Service Plan 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  

 

 

Service Fee

    0.25     0.25

Distribution Fee

          0.75  

 

 

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 January 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                        Total

$148,608

  $31,120                        $179,728

Administration: The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, entered into an Administration Agreement with the Manager, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, to provide administrative services. For these services, the Manager receives an administration fee computed daily and payable monthly, based on a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund. The administration fee, which is shown as administration in the Statement of Operations, is paid at the annual rates below.

 

 

 
Average Daily Net Assets    Administration Fee  

 

 

First $500 Million

     0.0425

$500 Million — $1 Billion

     0.0400  

$1 Billion — $2 Billion

     0.0375  

$2 Billion — $4 Billion

     0.0350  

$4 Billion — $13 Billion

     0.0325  

Greater than $13 Billion

     0.0300  

 

 

In addition, the Manager charges each of the share classes an administration fee, which is shown as administration — class specific in the Statement of Operations, at an annual rate of 0.02% of the average daily net assets of each respective class.

For the year ended January 31, 2020, the Fund paid the following to the Manager in return for these services, which are included in administration and administration —class specific in the Statement of Operations:

 

Fund Level    Institutional    Investor A    Investor C    Total

     $42,927

   $7,754    $11,801    $622    $63,104

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 January 31, 2020, the Fund did not pay any amounts to affiliates in return for these services.

The Manager 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 January 31, 2020, the Fund reimbursed the Manager 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    Total

          $218

   $1,348    $899    $2,465

 

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      21  


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)

 

For the year ended January 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    Total

     $51,403

   $105,603    $8,566    $165,572

Other Fees: For the year ended January 31, 2020, affiliates earned underwriting discounts, direct commissions and dealer concessions on sales of the Fund’s Investor A Shares of $9,836.

For the year ended January 31, 2020, affiliates received CDSCs of $387 for Investor C Shares.

Expense Limitations, Waivers, Reimbursements and Recoupments: The Manager voluntarily agreed to waive its investment advisory fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to the Manager indirectly through its investment in affiliated money market funds (the “affiliated money market fund waiver”). The amount of waivers and/or reimbursements of fees and expenses made pursuant to the expense limitation described below will be reduced by the amount of the affiliated money market fund waiver. This amount is included in fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager in the Statement of Operations. For the year ended January 31, 2020, the amount waived was $2,521.

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

The Manager 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    Investor A                                    Investor C

           1.05%

   1.30%                                   2.05%

The Manager has agreed not to reduce or discontinue these contractual expense limitations through May 31, 2020, unless approved by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. For the year ended January 31, 2020, the Manager waived and/or reimbursed $92,053, which is included in fees waived and/or reimbursed by the Manager in the Statement of Operations.

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

 

      Institutional                Investor A                Investor C                    Total  

Administration Fees Waived

     $  4,836          $  5,590          $  622          $11,048  

Transfer Agent Fees Waived and/or Reimbursed

     22,962          42,668          7,004          72,634  

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 Manager, are less than the current expense limitation for that share class, the Manager 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 has more than $50 million in assets for the fiscal year, and

(2) the Manager 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 the contractual investment advisory fee waiver described above or 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.

For the year ended January 31, 2020, the Manager recouped the following class specific waivers and/or reimbursements previously recorded by the Fund:    

 

Institutional    Investor A                        Total

          $928

   $744                        $1,672

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

   $ 374,916  

Institutional

     45,435  

Investor A

     72,005  

Investor C

     23,287  

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 Fund, subject to applicable conditions. As securities lending agent, BIM bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. The

 

 

22    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)

 

Fund 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 Fund. 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 Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund, 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 Fund 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 Fund is shown as securities lending income — affiliated — net in the Statement of Operations. For the year ended January 31, 2020, the Fund paid BIM $37 for securities lending agent services.

Interfund Lending: In accordance with an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the 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 January 31, 2020, the Fund did not participate in the Interfund Lending Program.

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

 

7.

PURCHASES AND SALES

For the year ended January 31, 2020, purchases and sales of investments, excluding short-term securities, were $292,301,438 and $65,586,972, respectively.

 

8.

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 January 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 January 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:    

 

      01/31/20            01/31/19  

Ordinary income

   $ 1,809,607       $ 447,489  

Long-term capital gains

     390,168                      152,487  
  

 

 

     

 

 

 
   $ 2,199,775       $ 599,976  
  

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      23  


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)

 

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

 

Net unrealized gains(a)

   $ 8,898,221  

Qualified late-year losses(b)

     (2,008,626
  

 

 

 
   $ 6,889,595  
  

 

 

 

 

  (a) 

The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized gains was attributable primarily to the tax deferral of losses on wash sales and the realization for tax purposes of unrealized gains (losses) on certain foreign currency contracts.

 
  (b) 

The Fund has elected to defer certain qualified late-year losses and recognize such losses in the next taxable year.

 

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

 

Tax cost

   $ 260,990,059  
  

 

 

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 12,725,782  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (3,828,931
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 8,896,851  
  

 

 

 

 

9.

BANK BORROWINGS

The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, 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 Fund may borrow to fund shareholder redemptions. Excluding commitments designated for certain individual funds, the Participating Funds, including the Fund, 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 January 31, 2020, the Fund did not borrow under the credit agreement.

 

10.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

In the normal course of business, the Fund invests in securities or other instruments and may enter into certain transactions, and such activities subject the Fund 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 Fund and its investments. The Fund’s prospectus provides details of the risks to which the Fund is subject.

The Fund 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 Fund may invest in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund’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 Fund may lose value, regardless of the individual results of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests.

Arecent outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in December 2019 and has now been detected internationally. This coronavirus has resulted in closing borders, quarantines, disruptions to supply chains and customer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of epidemics and pandemics such as the coronavirus, 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. The impact of the outbreak may be short term or may last for an extended period of time.

Counterparty Credit Risk: The Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks, consist principally of financial instruments and receivables due from counterparties. The extent of the Fund’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 Fund.

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.

The Fund’s risk of loss from counterparty credit risk on OTC derivatives is generally limited to the aggregate unrealized gain less the value of any collateral held by the Fund.

 

 

24    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)

 

Concentration Risk: As of period end, the Fund invested a significant portion of its assets in securities in the real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) sector. Changes in economic conditions affecting such sector would have a greater impact on the Fund and could affect the value, income and/or liquidity of positions in such securities.

 

11.

CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS

Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

     Year Ended 01/31/20             Year Ended 01/31/19  
      Shares      Amount              Shares      Amount  

Institutional

                          

Shares sold

                     6,913,337                      $ 98,988,486                           796,768                      $ 9,490,945  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

        63,181           896,185              21,058           248,039  

Shares redeemed.

        (2,186,423         (30,932,343            (541,154         (6,414,198
     

 

 

       

 

 

          

 

 

       

 

 

 

Net increase

        4,790,095         $ 68,952,328              276,672         $ 3,324,786  
     

 

 

       

 

 

          

 

 

       

 

 

 

Investor A

                          

Shares sold and automatic conversion of shares.

        13,983,225         $ 203,699,374              496,369         $ 5,962,507  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

        88,540           1,261,519              25,159           296,052  

Shares redeemed.

        (2,950,862         (42,271,952            (328,607         (3,827,737
     

 

 

       

 

 

          

 

 

       

 

 

 

Net increase

        11,120,903         $ 162,688,941              192,921         $ 2,430,822  
     

 

 

       

 

 

          

 

 

       

 

 

 

Investor C

                          

Shares sold

        90,315         $ 1,234,155              44,444         $ 521,085  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

        2,373           33,190              3,562           41,561  

Shares redeemed and automatic conversion of shares

        (37,488         (513,284            (71,515         (830,478
     

 

 

       

 

 

          

 

 

       

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

        55,200         $ 754,061              (23,509       $ (267,832
     

 

 

       

 

 

          

 

 

       

 

 

 

Total Net Increase

        15,966,198         $ 232,395,330              446,084         $ 5,487,776  
     

 

 

       

 

 

          

 

 

       

 

 

 

 

12.

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.

 

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS      25  


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Shareholders of BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund and the Board of Trustees of BlackRock FundsSM:

Opinion on the Financial Statements and Financial Highlights

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund of BlackRock FundsSM (the “Fund”), including the schedule of investments, as of January 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 January 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 January 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

March 23, 2020

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

 

 

Important Tax Information  (unaudited)

During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020, the following information is provided with respect to the ordinary income distributions paid by the Fund:

 

     Payable Dates          Percentage  

Qualified Dividend Income for Individuals(a)

    04/11/19        7.09%  
    07/19/19        7.52%  
    10/11/19        7.52%  
    12/06/19        7.52%  

Qualified Business Income(a)

    04/11/19        79.69%  
    07/19/19        79.69%  
    10/11/19        79.69%  
      12/06/19        79.69%  

 

  (a) 

The Fund hereby designates the percentage indicated above or the maximum amount allowable by law.

 

Additionally, the Fund distributed 20% long-term capital gains of $0.018184 per share and 25% long-term capital gains of $0.004511 per share, to shareholders of record on December 4, 2019.

 

 

26    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 Trustees (the “Board”) of BlackRock FundsSM, on behalf of BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund, 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      27  


Trustee and Officer Information

 

Independent Trustees (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
(Since 2019) and Trustee
(Since 2015)
   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.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    None
Bruce R. Bond
1946
   Trustee
(Since 2019)
   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.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    None
Susan J. Carter
1956
   Trustee
(Since 2016)
   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.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    None
Collette Chilton
1958
   Trustee
(Since 2015)
   Chief Investment Officer, Williams College since 2006; Chief Investment Officer, Lucent Asset Management Corporation from 1998 to 2006.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    None
Neil A. Cotty
1954
   Trustee
(Since 2016)
   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.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    None
Lena G. Goldberg
1949
   Trustee
(Since 2019)
   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.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    None
Henry R. Keizer
1956
   Trustee
(Since 2019)
   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.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    Hertz Global Holdings (car rental); Montpelier Re Holdings, Ltd. (publicly held property and casualty reinsurance) from 2013 until 2015; Sealed Air Corp. (packaging); WABCO (commercial vehicle safety systems)
Cynthia A. Montgomery
1952
   Trustee
(Since 2007)
   Professor, Harvard Business School since 1989.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. (manufacturing)

 

 

28    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Trustee and Officer Information  (continued)

 

Independent Trustees (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
   Trustee
(Since 2019)
   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.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    None
Joseph P. Platt
1947
   Trustee
(Since 2007)
   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.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. (reinsurance company); Consol Energy Inc.
Kenneth L. Urish
1951
   Trustee
(Since 2007)
   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.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    None
Claire A. Walton
1957
   Trustee
(Since 2016)
   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.    37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios    None

 

 

TRUSTEE AND OFFICER INFORMATION      29  


Trustee and Officer Information  (continued)

 

Interested Trustees (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
   Trustee
(Since 2018)
   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.    124 RICs consisting of 287 Portfolios    None
John M. Perlowski(e)
1964
   Trustee
(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.    125 RICs consisting of 288 Portfolios    None

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

(b) Independent Trustees serve until their resignation, retirement, removal or death, or until December 31 of the year in which they turn 75. The Board may determine to extend the terms of Independent Trustees 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. Furthermore, 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 Trustee joined the Board, certain Independent Trustees first became members of the boards of other BlackRock-advised Funds, legacy MLIM funds or legacy BlackRock funds as follows: Bruce R. Bond, 2005; Cynthia A. Montgomery, 1994; Joseph P. Platt, 1999; Kenneth L. Urish, 1999; Lena G. Goldberg, 2016; Henry R. Keizer, 2016; Donald C. Opatrny, 2015.

(d) Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are both “interested persons,” as defined in the 1940 Act, of the Trust 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.

 

 

30    2020 BLACKROCK ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS


Trustee and Officer Information  (continued)

 

Officers Who Are Not Trustees (a)
     

Name

Year of Birth(b)

  

Position(s) Held

(Length of Service)

   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
Thomas Callahan
1968
   Vice President
(Since 2016)
   Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2013; Member of the Board of Managers of BlackRock Investments, LLC (principal underwriter) since 2019 and Managing Director thereof since 2017; Head of BlackRock’s Global Cash Management Business since 2016; Co-Head of the Global Cash Management Business from 2014 to 2016; Deputy Head of the Global Cash Management Business from 2013 to 2014; Member of the Cash Management Group Executive Committee since 2013; Chief Executive Officer of NYSE Liffe U.S. from 2008 to 2013.
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)
   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 Trust serve at the pleasure of the Board.

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

 

Effective September 19, 2019, Lisa Belle replaced John MacKessy as the Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of the Trust.

Effective September 19, 2019, Janey Ahn replaced Benjamin Archibald as the Secretary of the Trust.

Effective December 31, 2019, Robert M. Hernandez retired as Trustee of the Trust.

 

Investment Adviser and Administrator
BlackRock Advisors, LLC

Wilmington, DE 19809

 

Sub-Advisers
BlackRock International Limited
Edinburgh, EH3 8BL
United Kingdom

 

BlackRock (Singapore) Limited

079912 Singapore

 

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 Trust
100 Bellevue Parkway
Wilmington, DE 19809
 

 

 

TRUSTEE AND OFFICER INFORMATION      31  


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 files its 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’s Forms N-PORT and N-Q are available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. The Fund’s Forms N-PORT and 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 uses 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 voted proxies relating to securities held in the Fund’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.

 

 

32    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      33  


 

Want to know more?

blackrock.com    |    877-275-1255 (1-877-ASK-1BLK)

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.

REALES-1/20-AR

 

 

LOGO    LOGO


I  

Item 2 – Code of Ethics – The registrant (or the "Fund") has adopted a code of ethics, as of the end of the period covered by this report, applicable to the registrant's 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 registrant undertakes 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 – The registrant's board of directors (the "board of directors"), has determined that (i) the registrant has the following audit committee financial expert 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 Fund:

 

(a) Audit Fees

(b) Audit-Related Fees1

(c) Tax Fees2

(d) All Other Fees

 

Current

Previous

Current

Previous

Current

Previous

Current

Previous

 

Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year

Entity Name

End

End

End

End

End

End

End

End

BlackRock Real

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Estate Securities

$21,828

$21,828

$0

$0

$13,200

$15,800

$0

$0

Fund

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Current Fiscal Year End

Previous Fiscal Year End

(b) Audit-Related Fees1

$0

$0

 

2

 

 

(c) Tax Fees2

$0

$0

(d) All Other Fees3

$2,284,000

$2,050,500

1The 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 $2,284,000 and $2,050,500 for the current fiscal year and previous fiscal year, respectively, were paid to the Fund's principal accountant in their entirety by BlackRock, in connection with services provided to the Affiliated Service Providers of the 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 registrant on an annual basis require specific pre-approval by the Committee. The Committee also must approve other non-audit services provided to the registrant 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 registrant. 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 registrant which have a direct impact on the operations or financial reporting of the registrant will only be deemed pre-approved provided that any individual project does not exceed $10,000 attributable to the registrant 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 minimus exception in paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.

(f)Not Applicable

(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 registrant, the Investment Adviser and the Affiliated Service Providers were:

(Entity Name

Current Fiscal Year

Previous Fiscal Year

End

End

BlackRock Real Estate

$13,200

$15,800

Securities Fund

 

 

3

 

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 an accounting research tool subscription were:

Current Fiscal Year

Previous Fiscal Year

End

End

$2,284,000

$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 registrant's Schedule of Investments is 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.

Item 11 – Controls and Procedures

(a)The registrant's principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a- 3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act")) 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 registrant's 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

4

 

affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's 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, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

BlackRock Funds

By: /s/ John M. Perlowski ___________________

John M. Perlowski

Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of

BlackRock Funds

Date: April 3, 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 the 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 Funds

Date: April 3, 2020

By: /s/ Neal J. Andrews

Neal J. Andrews

Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of

BlackRock Funds

Date: April 3, 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 Funds, certify that:

1.I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of BlackRock Funds;

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 registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.The registrant's 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 registrant 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 registrant, including its 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 registrant's 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 registrant's 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 registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

5.The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board 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 registrant's 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 registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: April 3, 2020

/s/ John M. Perlowski John M. Perlowski

Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of

BlackRock Funds

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 Funds, certify that:

1.I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of BlackRock Funds;

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 registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.The registrant's 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 registrant 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 registrant, including its 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 registrant's 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 registrant's 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 registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

5.The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board 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 registrant's 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 registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: April 3, 2020

/s/ Neal J. Andrews Neal J. Andrews

Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of

BlackRock Funds

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 Funds (the "registrant"), hereby certifies, to the best of his knowledge, that the registrant's Report on Form N-CSR for the period ended January 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 registrant.

Date: April 3, 2020

/s/ John M. Perlowski John M. Perlowski

Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of

BlackRock Funds

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, the undersigned officer of BlackRock Funds (the "registrant"), hereby certifies, to the best of his knowledge, that the registrant's Report on Form N-CSR for the period ended January 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 registrant.

Date: April 3, 2020

/s/ Neal J. Andrews Neal J. Andrews

Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of

BlackRock Funds

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.