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The third-quarter market correction came like a kick to the teeth. But if you blinked, you might have missed it. From August 17 to August 25 – a span of a little less than a week – the S&P 500 dropped a quick 11%. But by the middle of October, the market had already recovered more than half of the late-summer swoon. In certain sectors – like energy – the August sell-off created the sort of pricing that makes value investors like me salivate. I scooped up additional shares of Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD ), Energy Transfer Equity (NYSE: ETE ) and Teekay Corp. (NYSE: TK ), among others, in my Dividend Growth portfolio. Pricing is still very favorable in this sector, and I expect more gains to come. But in the broader market, the correction – while violent and jarring – was not deep enough to really give us the bargains I had hoped for. U.S. stocks are still very pricey, trading at a cyclically-adjusted price/earnings ratio of 25 , implying extremely lackluster returns going forward. So, mainstream stocks are a bad bet at today’s prices. But there are bargains to be found for those willing to look. One corner of the market that is dirt-cheap is closed-end bond funds (“CEFs”). This is a niche market that is mostly ignored by institutional investors, and even seems a little anachronistic in the age of index-tracking ETFs. But their quirkiness is precisely what makes them appealing. Unlike mutual funds, which are priced daily at NAV, or ETF shares, which rarely deviate too far from their NAV, CEFs are often priced at wild discounts and premiums to the values of their respective portfolios. When a CEF is priced at premium to its book value, you generally don’t want to own it. Why would you pay $1.10 for a dollar’s worth of assets? An enterprising investor could look at the fund’s holdings and replicate them by buying the same bonds on the open market, without paying management fees. But when a CEF trades at a discount… that’s where it gets interesting. In several high-quality CEFs, we can essentially pick up dollars for 90 cents or less. Fund Ticker Yield Current Prem./Disc. to NAV 52-Week High Prem./Disc. to NAV 52-Week Low Prem./Disc. to NAV Cohen & Steers Select Preferred & Income Fund Inc. PSF 8.72% (11.12%) (2.04%) (11.12%) Cohen & Steers REIT & Preferred Income Fund RNP 8.38% (16.66%) (9.50%) (17.83%) Eaton Vance Limited Duration Income Fund EVV 9.52% (14.70%) (8.70%) (16.03%) Cohen & Steers Limited Duration Preferred & Income Fund LDP 8.32% (10.18%) (5.86%) (11.83%) Source: CEFConnect.com In the Dividend Growth portfolio, I currently own shares of the Cohen & Steers Select Preferred and Income Fund , the Cohen & Steers REIT & Preferred Fund , the Eaton Vance Limited Duration Income Fund and the Cohen & Steers Limited Duration Preferred & Income Fund . All are trading at discounts to book value of 10-17% – some of the deepest discounts since the 2008 meltdown – and all pay very competitive dividends of 8-10%. Between the dividends and a closing of the discounts to more “normal” levels, I expect to see total returns of 15-20% over the next 12-18 months. In an overpriced market, that’s not too shabby. Disclosures: Currently long EPD, ETE, TK, PSF, EVV, RNP, LDP. This article first appeared on Sizemore Insights as Closed-End Funds Are a Pocket of Value in an Expensive Market . Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered specific investment advice or as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. Sizemore Capital personnel and clients will often have an interest in the securities mentioned. There is risk in any investment in traded securities, and all Sizemore Capital investment strategies have the possibility of loss. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Original Post Scalper1 News
Scalper1 News