N-30B-2 1 lusa-n30b2_093020.htm PERIODIC AND INTERIM REPORTS

 

 

 

 

 

LIBERTY ALL-STAR® EQUITY FUND

Period Ended September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

 

Fund Statistics

Net Asset Value (NAV) $6.46
Market Price $6.01
Discount -7.0%

 

  Quarter Year-to-Date
Distribution* $0.16 $0.47
Market Price Trading Range $5.68 to $6.31 $3.67 to $7.15
Premium/(Discount) Range -6.2% to -9.0% 2.5% to -21.3%

 

Performance    
Shares Valued at NAV with Dividends Reinvested 7.30% 1.04%
Shares Valued at Market Price with Dividends Reinvested 7.85% -4.19%
Dow Jones Industrial Average 8.22% -0.91%
Lipper Large-Cap Core Mutual Fund Average 8.45% 3.94%
NASDAQ Composite Index 11.24% 25.33%
S&P 500® Index 8.93% 5.57%

 

*Sources of distributions to shareholders may include ordinary dividends, long-term capital gains and return of capital. The final determination of the source of all distributions in 2020 for tax reporting purposes will be made after year end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund’s investment experience during its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. Based on current estimates a portion of the distributions consist of a return of capital. Pursuant to Section 852 of the Internal Revenue Code, the taxability of this distribution will be reported on Form 1099-DIV for 2020.

 

Performance returns for the Fund are total returns, which include dividends. Returns are net of management fees and other Fund expenses.

 

The returns shown for the Lipper Large-Cap Core Mutual Fund Average are based on open-end mutual funds’ total returns, which include dividends, and are net of fund expenses. Returns for the unmanaged Dow Jones Industrial Average, NASDAQ Composite Index and the S&P 500® Index are total returns, including dividends. A description of the Lipper benchmark and the market indices can be found on page 19.

 

Past performance cannot predict future results. Performance will fluctuate with market conditions. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data shown. Performance information does not reflect the deduction of taxes that shareholders would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. An investment in the Fund involves risk, including loss of principal.

 

Closed-end funds raise money in an initial public offering and shares are listed and traded on an exchange. Open-end mutual funds continuously issue and redeem shares at net asset value. Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. The price of the Fund’s shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the Fund. Therefore, the Fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above net asset value.

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund President’s Letter

 

(Unaudited)

 

Fellow Shareholders: October 2020

 

Despite giving up ground in September, equity markets consolidated exceptional second quarter returns with further gains in the third quarter. The S&P 500® Index returned 8.93 percent for the quarter, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) returned 8.22 percent and the NASDAQ Composite Index advanced 11.24 percent.

 

Through nine months, the S&P 500® returned 5.57 percent, the DJIA returned -0.91 percent and the NASDAQ Composite returned 25.33 percent.

 

The third quarter got off to a strong start, with investors believing that economic damage owing to the pandemic would not be as severe as once feared. This was due to government stimulus programs and a report that employers added 4.8 million jobs in June for the second straight month of growth. Investors anticipated a sharp contraction in the economy and in latter July the Commerce Department confirmed their fears with a report that U.S. GDP fell 9.5 percent in the second quarter, the steepest quarterly decline on record.

 

Nevertheless, August saw the market’s momentum hold, as the S&P 500® posted six straight days of gains to begin the month. August also saw the S&P 500® log its first record close in six months, an event that marked the fastest recovery in history following a bear market. From its February 19 high, the S&P 500® dropped 34 percent by March 23 only to reach a new record high on August 18.  A typical peak-to-peak recovery takes 1,542 trading days on average, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

 

August ended with stocks closing out their best month since April, a gain of 7.19 percent. But just days later, on September 3, the S&P 500® posted its worst day since mid-June. September would go on to see the S&P 500® encounter its first four-week losing streak in more than a year and that same index came close to a 10 percent decline, which would have marked correction territory. Among concerns weighing on investors were the rich valuations of certain technology stocks, tensions between the U.S. and China, election uncertainties and the outlook for the economy in the pandemic age. The inability of the House and the Senate to come to any agreement on extra unemployment benefits and other economic aid also caused concern. A rebound in the last few trading days recouped some of the losses, but the S&P 500® still declined -3.80 percent for the month.

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund

Fund performance in the third quarter trailed key market benchmarks. The Fund returned 7.30 percent with shares valued at net asset value (NAV) with dividends reinvested and 7.85 percent with shares valued at market price with dividends reinvested. (Fund returns are net of expenses.) The Fund’s primary benchmark, the Lipper Large-Cap Core Mutual Fund Average, returned 8.45 percent. As noted earlier, respective returns for the S&P 500®, the DJIA and the NASDAQ Composite were 8.93 percent, 8.22 percent and 11.24 percent.

 

 

Third Quarter Report (Unaudited) | September 30, 2020 1

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund President’s Letter

 

(Unaudited)

 

Through nine months, the Fund returned 1.04 percent with shares valued at NAV with dividends reinvested and -4.19 percent with shares valued at market price with dividends reinvested. The Lipper Large-Cap Core benchmark returned 3.94 percent for the same period. The nine-month return for the S&P 500® was 5.57 percent, while the DJIA returned -0.91 percent and the NASDAQ Composite returned 25.33 percent. The Fund had a strong second quarter, but results year to date continue to lag owing to a difficult first quarter.

 

Throughout the year, the market has been dominated by a handful of mega-cap technology stocks. To illustrate, the S&P 500® Index is capitalization-weighted, meaning that stocks with large capitalizations receive a heavier weighting than those with lesser capitalizations. The cap-weighted S&P 500® returned 5.57 percent through September. But an equal-weighted S&P 500®—removing the effect of size and treating the performance of each stock equally—returned -4.75 percent. Another indicator of the market’s concentration is the fact that just three S&P sectors out of 11 have outperformed the index year to date: information technology, consumer discretionary and communication services.

 

This data would indicate that growth style stocks have continued to outperform value style issues and, indeed, that is the case. In the third quarter, the Russell 1000® Growth Index returned 13.22 percent, while its Value counterpart returned less than half that, just 5.59 percent. The outperformance of growth stocks year to date has been even more pronounced—the Russell 1000® Growth Index returned 24.33 percent compared to its Value counterpart, which declined -11.58 percent.

 

In the third quarter Fund shares traded in a discount range relative to their underlying NAV that was little changed relative to the second quarter. For the most recent quarter, the discount ranged from -6.2 percent to -9.0 percent, whereas during the previous quarter the range went from -3.4 percent to -10.2 percent.

 

In accordance with the Fund’s distribution policy, the Fund paid a distribution of $0.16 per share in the third quarter. The Fund’s distribution policy has been in place since 1988 and is a major component of the Fund’s total return. The Fund has paid distributions of $28.02 per share for a total of more than $3.1 billion since 1987 (the Fund’s first full calendar year of operations). We continue to emphasize that shareholders should include these distributions when determining the total return on their investment in the Fund.

 

In Fund news, the annual meeting of shareholders was held (by telephone, owing to the coronavirus) on October 6. The key outcome was a vote to approve Fiduciary Management, Inc. as one of the Fund’s investment managers. It was necessary to reach out to some shareholders multiple times to obtain the necessary votes and we wish to thank shareholders for their support throughout this lengthy process.

 

 

2 www.all-starfunds.com

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund President’s Letter

 

(Unaudited)

 

Recently, ongoing market characteristics—high valuations, the dominance of a few mega-cap stocks and growth stocks’ outperformance over value stocks—have been challenges for the Fund. Nevertheless, the Fund’s five investment managers—three value managers and two growth managers—continue to perform as expected, adhering to their specific investment style and strategy and making sound, well-reasoned stock selections. The Fund’s long-term performance reflects this, and we at ALPS Advisors continue our commitment to the Fund’s core attributes: institutional-quality investment management, rigorous review of the managers’ performance, diversification by style and strategy, a long-term perspective, and alignment with shareholders’ best interests.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

William R. Parmentier, Jr.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund

 

The views expressed in the President’s letter reflect the views of the President as of October 2020 and may not reflect his views on the date this report is first published or anytime thereafter. These views are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict so actual outcomes and results may differ significantly from the views expressed. These views are subject to change at any time based upon economic, market or other conditions and the Fund disclaims any responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for the Fund are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of trading intent.

 

 

Third Quarter Report (Unaudited) | September 30, 2020 3

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Table of Distributions & Rights Offerings

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

      Rights Offerings    
Year Per Share
Distributions
Month
Completed
Shares Needed to Purchase
One Additional Share
Subscription
Price
Tax
Credits1
1987 $1.18        
1988 0.64        
1989 0.95        
1990 0.90        
1991 1.02        
1992 1.07 April 10 $10.05  
1993 1.07 October 15 10.41 $0.18
1994 1.00 September 15 9.14  
1995 1.04        
1996 1.18       0.13
1997 1.33       0.36
1998 1.40 April 20 12.83   
1999 1.39        
2000 1.42        
2001 1.20        
2002 0.88 May 10 8.99  
2003 0.78        
2004 0.89 July 102 8.34  
2005 0.87        
2006 0.88        
2007 0.90 December 10 6.51  
2008 0.65        
20093 0.31        
2010 0.31        
2011 0.34        
2012 0.32        
2013 0.35        
2014 0.39        
20154 0.51        
2016 0.48        
20175 0.56        
2018 0.68        
2019 0.66        
2020          
1st Quarter 0.17        
2nd Quarter 0.14        
3rd Quarter 0.16        
Total $28.02        

 

1The Fund’s net investment income and net realized capital gains exceeded the amount to be distributed under the Fund’s distribution policy. In each case, the Fund elected to pay taxes on the undistributed income and passed through a proportionate tax credit to shareholders.

2The number of shares offered was increased by an additional 25 percent to cover a portion of the over-subscription requests.

3Effective with the second quarter distribution, the annual distribution rate was changed from 10 percent to 6 percent.

4Effective with the second quarter distribution, the annual distribution rate was changed from 6 percent to 8 percent.

5Effective with the fourth quarter distribution, the annual distribution rate was changed from 8 percent to 10 percent.

 

DISTRIBUTION POLICY

 

The current policy is to pay distributions on its shares totaling approximately 10 percent of its net asset value per year, payable in four quarterly installments of 2.5 percent of the Fund’s net asset value at the close of the New York Stock Exchange on the Friday prior to each quarterly declaration date. Sources of distributions to shareholders may include ordinary dividends, long-term capital gains and return of capital. The final determination of the source of all distributions in 2020 for tax reporting purposes will be made after year end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund’s investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. If a distribution includes anything other than net investment income, the Fund provides a Section 19(a) notice of the best estimate of its distribution sources at that time. These estimates may not match the final tax characterization (for the full year’s distributions) contained in shareholder 1099-DIV forms after the end of the year. If the Fund’s ordinary dividends and long-term capital gains for any year exceed the amount distributed under the distribution policy, the Fund may, in its discretion, retain and not distribute capital gains and pay income tax thereon to the extent of such excess.

 

 

4 www.all-starfunds.com

 

 

 

 

Investment Managers/
Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Portfolio Characteristics
 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

THE FUND’S ASSETS ARE APPROXIMATELY EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED AMONG THREE VALUE MANAGERS AND TWO GROWTH MANAGERS:

 

 

 

ALPS Advisors, Inc., the investment advisor to the Fund, has the ultimate authority (subject to oversight by the Board of Trustees) to oversee the investment managers and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement.

 

MANAGERS’ DIFFERING INVESTMENT STRATEGIES ARE REFLECTED IN PORTFOLIO CHARACTERISTICS

 

The portfolio characteristics table below is a regular feature of the Fund’s shareholder reports. It serves as a useful tool for understanding the value of a multi-managed portfolio. The characteristics are different for each of the Fund’s five investment managers. These differences are a reflection of the fact that each pursues a different investment style. The shaded column highlights the characteristics of the Fund as a whole, while the final column shows portfolio characteristics for the S&P 500® Index.

 

PORTFOLIO CHARACTERISTICS As of September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 
    Investment Style Spectrum      
  Value       Growth    
     
  PZENA FIDUCIARY ARISTOTLE SUSTAINABLE TCW

TOTAL

FUND

S&P 500®

 INDEX

Number of Holdings 38 30 46 29 32 151* 505
Percent of Holdings in Top 10 40% 46% 37% 44% 55% 21% 28%
Weighted Average Market Capitalization (billions) $39 $114 $155 $335 $340 $203 $452
Average Five-Year Earnings Per Share Growth -8% 9% 10% 17% 31% 12% 12%
Dividend Yield 2.5% 1.5% 1.7% 0.7% 0.4% 1.3% 1.7%
Price/Earnings Ratio** 14x 21x 22x 43x 48x 27x 27x
Price/Book Value Ratio 0.9x 3.2x 2.4x 8.9x 9.6x 2.5x 3.8x

  

*Certain holdings are held by more than one manager.
**Excludes negative earnings.

 

 

Third Quarter Report (Unaudited) | September 30, 2020 5

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Top 20 Holdings & Economic Sectors

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

Top 20 Holdings* Percent of Net Assets
Amazon.com, Inc.    2.61%
Adobe, Inc. 2.34
PayPal Holdings, Inc. 2.30
Visa, Inc. 2.04
Facebook, Inc. 1.99
Microsoft Corp. 1.92
Alphabet, Inc. 1.90
salesforce.com, Inc. 1.80
Danaher Corp. 1.74
UnitedHealth Group, Inc. 1.54
ServiceNow, Inc. 1.36
JPMorgan Chase & Co. 1.35
Sony Corp. 1.32
Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. 1.29
Equinix, Inc. 1.24
IHS Markit, Ltd. 1.16
Chubb, Ltd. 1.12
Capital One Financial Corp. 1.11
Masco Corp. 1.01
Dollar General Corp. 0.98
  32.12%
   
Economic Sectors* Percent of Net Assets
Information Technology    22.05%
Financials 15.03
Health Care 14.40
Consumer Discretionary 13.92
Industrials 11.86
Communication Services 5.96
Materials 4.41
Consumer Staples 3.91
Energy 2.95
Real Estate 2.65
Utilities 0.53
Other Net Assets 2.33
  100.00%

 

*Because the Fund is actively managed, there can be no guarantee that the Fund will continue to hold securities of the indicated issuers and sectors in the future.

  

 

6 www.all-starfunds.com

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Major Stock Changes in the Quarter

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

The following are the major ($2 million or more) stock changes–both purchases and sales–that were made in the Fund’s portfolio during the third quarter of 2020.

 

  Shares
Security Name Purchases (Sales) Held as of 9/30/20
Purchases    
Ball Corp. 34,726 113,168
Booking Holdings, Inc. 1,520 7,605
Capital One Financial Corp. 34,311 214,632
IQVIA Holdings, Inc. 18,600 18,600
Procter & Gamble Co. 51,500 51,500
Textron, Inc. 135,257 135,257
Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. 19,768 19,768
Wells Fargo & Co. 92,145 422,158
     
Sales    
Adobe, Inc. (14,095) 66,315
Amazon.com, Inc. (919) 11,532
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (4,081) 10,458
Morgan Stanley (72,883) 104,531
PayPal Holdings, Inc. (37,966) 162,053
salesforce.com, Inc. (20,046) 99,687
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (14,058) 34,340

 

 

Third Quarter Report (Unaudited) | September 30, 2020 7

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Schedule of Investments

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

   SHARES   MARKET VALUE 
COMMON STOCKS (97.67%)          
COMMUNICATION SERVICES (5.96%)          
Interactive Media & Services (4.79%)          
Alphabet, Inc., Class C(a)   17,958   $26,391,077 
Facebook, Inc., Class A(a)   105,666    27,673,925 
Match Group, Inc.(a)   55,544    6,145,922 
Twitter, Inc.(a)   142,600    6,345,700 
         66,556,624 
Media (1.17%)          
Comcast Corp., Class A   224,820    10,400,173 
Omnicom Group, Inc.   119,755    5,927,873 
         16,328,046 
CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY (13.92%)          
Auto Components (0.63%)          
Lear Corp.   80,253    8,751,590 
           
Automobiles (0.69%)          
Ford Motor Co.   1,443,832    9,615,921 
           
Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure (0.76%)          
Carnival Corp.(b)   25,012    379,682 
Yum! Brands, Inc.   111,345    10,165,799 
         10,545,481 
Household Durables (3.14%)          
Lennar Corp., Class A   103,300    8,437,544 
Lennar Corp., Class B   2,500    164,150 
Mohawk Industries, Inc.(a)   86,151    8,407,476 
Newell Brands, Inc.   482,863    8,285,929 
Sony Corp.(c)   238,205    18,282,234 
         43,577,333 
Internet & Direct Marketing Retail (3.55%)          
Amazon.com, Inc.(a)   11,532    36,311,154 
Booking Holdings, Inc.(a)   7,605    13,009,722 
         49,320,876 
Multiline Retail (1.72%)          
Dollar General Corp.   65,300    13,688,186 
Dollar Tree, Inc.(a)   112,433    10,269,630 
         23,957,816 
Specialty Retail (1.41%)          
Home Depot, Inc.   26,980    7,492,616 
TJX Cos., Inc.   149,780    8,335,257 
Ulta Beauty, Inc.(a)   16,971    3,801,164 
         19,629,037 

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

8 www.all-starfunds.com

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Schedule of Investments

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

   SHARES   MARKET VALUE 
COMMON STOCKS (continued)          
Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods (2.02%)          
Gildan Activewear, Inc.   505,446   $9,942,123 
NIKE, Inc., Class B   98,157    12,322,629 
PVH Corp.   97,564    5,818,717 
         28,083,469 
CONSUMER STAPLES (3.91%)          
Beverages (1.03%)          
Coca-Cola Co.   142,000    7,010,540 
PepsiCo, Inc.   53,050    7,352,730 
         14,363,270 
Food & Staples Retailing (0.70%)          
Costco Wholesale Corp.   20,066    7,123,430 
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.   71,000    2,550,320 
         9,673,750 
Food Products (0.89%)          
Nestle SA(c)   62,995    7,512,469 
Tyson Foods, Inc., Class A   81,000    4,817,880 
         12,330,349 
Household Products (0.51%)          
Procter & Gamble Co.   51,500    7,157,985 
           
Personal Products (0.78%)          
Unilever PLC(c)   175,925    10,851,054 
           
ENERGY (2.95%)          
Energy Equipment & Services (1.64%)          
Baker Hughes Co.   537,344    7,141,302 
Halliburton Co.   598,814    7,215,708 
National Oilwell Varco, Inc.   593,470    5,376,838 
Schlumberger NV   200,105    3,113,634 
         22,847,482 
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels (1.31%)          
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.   330,000    5,728,800 
Cenovus Energy, Inc.   528,447    2,055,659 
Exxon Mobil Corp.   73,583    2,526,104 
Phillips 66   66,000    3,421,440 
Pioneer Natural Resources Co.   25,500    2,192,745 
Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Class A(c)   91,039    2,291,452 
         18,216,200 
FINANCIALS (15.03%)          
Banks (4.70%)          
Bank of America Corp.   317,622    7,651,514 

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

Third Quarter Report (Unaudited) | September 30, 2020 9

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Schedule of Investments

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

   SHARES   MARKET VALUE 
COMMON STOCKS (continued)          
Banks (continued)          
BOK Financial Corp.   29,600   $1,524,696 
Citigroup, Inc.   239,427    10,321,698 
Commerce Bancshares, Inc.   64,000    3,602,560 
Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc.   38,000    2,430,100 
East West Bancorp, Inc.   94,300    3,087,382 
JPMorgan Chase & Co.   195,283    18,799,894 
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.(b)(c)   650,000    2,606,500 
PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.   49,400    5,429,554 
Wells Fargo & Co.   422,158    9,924,935 
         65,378,833 
Capital Markets (3.43%)          
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.   43,200    6,657,552 
Charles Schwab Corp.   307,000    11,122,610 
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.   39,171    7,872,196 
Morgan Stanley   104,531    5,054,074 
Northern Trust Corp.   87,915    6,854,732 
S&P Global, Inc.   17,000    6,130,200 
UBS Group AG   361,404    4,029,655 
         47,721,019 
Consumer Finance (1.11%)          
Capital One Financial Corp.   214,632    15,423,456 
           
Diversified Financial Services (2.18%)          
Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Class B(a)   83,925    17,870,989 
Equitable Holdings, Inc.   398,322    7,265,393 
Voya Financial, Inc.   105,990    5,080,101 
         30,216,483 
Insurance (3.61%)          
American International Group, Inc.   416,768    11,473,623 
Axis Capital Holdings, Ltd.   171,252    7,541,938 
Chubb, Ltd.   133,522    15,504,575 
Cincinnati Financial Corp.   12,693    989,673 
MetLife, Inc.   207,103    7,698,018 
Progressive Corp.   72,795    6,891,503 
         50,099,330 
HEALTH CARE (14.40%)          
Biotechnology (1.26%)          
Amgen, Inc.   35,800    9,098,928 
BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc.(a)   37,200    2,830,176 
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a)   9,871    5,525,588 
         17,454,692 

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

10 www.all-starfunds.com

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Schedule of Investments

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

 

   SHARES   MARKET VALUE 
COMMON STOCKS (continued)          
Health Care Equipment & Supplies (6.60%)          
Abbott Laboratories   105,709   $11,504,311 
Alcon, Inc.(a)   104,500    5,951,275 
Align Technology, Inc.(a)   19,546    6,398,579 
Becton Dickinson and Co.   34,315    7,984,414 
Boston Scientific Corp.(a)   151,747    5,798,253 
Danaher Corp.   112,186    24,157,011 
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.(a)   10,458    7,420,369 
Koninklijke Philips NV(a)   188,722    8,898,249 
Medtronic PLC   70,000    7,274,400 
Smith & Nephew PLC(c)   162,720    6,362,352 
         91,749,213 
Health Care Providers & Services (3.10%)          
Cardinal Health, Inc.   53,609    2,516,943 
McKesson Corp.   45,454    6,769,464 
Quest Diagnostics, Inc.   107,710    12,331,718 
UnitedHealth Group, Inc.   68,838    21,461,623 
         43,079,748 
Life Sciences Tools & Services (1.72%)          
Illumina, Inc.(a)   39,469    12,199,079 
IQVIA Holdings, Inc.(a)   18,600    2,931,918 
Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.   19,768    8,727,967 
         23,858,964 
Pharmaceuticals (1.72%)          
Elanco Animal Health, Inc.(a)   209,500    5,851,335 
Mylan NV(a)   205,038    3,040,714 
Novartis AG(c)   68,000    5,913,280 
Zoetis, Inc.   55,300    9,144,961 
         23,950,290 
INDUSTRIALS (11.86%)          
Aerospace & Defense (1.31%)          
General Dynamics Corp.   34,000    4,706,620 
Honeywell International, Inc.   52,620    8,661,778 
Textron, Inc.   135,257    4,881,425 
         18,249,823 
Air Freight & Logistics (0.52%)          
Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.   79,240    7,172,805 
           
Building Products (1.89%)          
Allegion PLC   61,000    6,033,510 
Johnson Controls International PLC   151,500    6,188,775 

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

Third Quarter Report (Unaudited) | September 30, 2020 11

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Schedule of Investments

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

   SHARES   MARKET VALUE 
COMMON STOCKS (continued)          
Building Products (continued)          
Masco Corp.   254,630   $14,037,752 
         26,260,037 
Commercial Services & Supplies (0.37%)          
Waste Connections, Inc.   50,100    5,200,380 
           
Electrical Equipment (0.84%)          
Eaton Corp. PLC   82,515    8,419,005 
Emerson Electric Co.   49,580    3,250,961 
         11,669,966 
Industrial Conglomerates (0.79%)          
General Electric Co.   1,755,143    10,934,541 
           
Machinery (3.32%)          
Oshkosh Corp.   81,000    5,953,500 
PACCAR, Inc.   93,530    7,976,238 
Parker-Hannifin Corp.   33,600    6,798,624 
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.   34,340    5,569,948 
Wabtec Corp.   131,958    8,165,561 
Xylem, Inc.   138,600    11,659,032 
         46,122,903 
Professional Services (1.65%)          
IHS Markit, Ltd.   205,474    16,131,764 
TransUnion   81,200    6,831,356 
         22,963,120 
Road & Rail (0.69%)          
Union Pacific Corp.   48,881    9,623,202 
           
Trading Companies & Distributors (0.48%)          
HD Supply Holdings, Inc.(a)   162,620    6,706,449 
           
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (22.05%)          
IT Services (7.01%)          
Accenture Ltd., Class A, Class A   26,530    5,995,515 
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Class A   119,153    8,271,601 
FleetCor Technologies, Inc.(a)   48,355    11,513,326 
Mastercard, Inc., Class A   28,696    9,704,126 
PayPal Holdings, Inc.(a)   162,053    31,929,303 
Snowflake, Inc.(a)   6,967    1,748,717 
Visa, Inc., Class A   141,458    28,287,356 
         97,449,944 

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

12 www.all-starfunds.com

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Schedule of Investments

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

   SHARES   MARKET VALUE 
COMMON STOCKS (continued)          
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment (3.12%)          
ASML Holding N.V.   15,353   $5,669,402 
Microchip Technology, Inc.   75,800    7,789,208 
NVIDIA Corp.   23,993    12,985,492 
QUALCOMM, Inc.   70,000    8,237,600 
Xilinx, Inc.   83,670    8,721,761 
         43,403,463 
Software (11.39%)          
Adobe, Inc.(a)   66,315    32,522,865 
ANSYS, Inc.(a)   35,000    11,453,050 
Autodesk, Inc.(a)   36,986    8,544,136 
Intuit, Inc.   19,134    6,241,702 
Microsoft Corp.   126,993    26,710,438 
salesforce.com, Inc.(a)   99,687    25,053,337 
ServiceNow, Inc.(a)   38,881    18,857,285 
Splunk, Inc.(a)   41,955    7,892,994 
Trade Desk, Inc., Class A(a)   17,954    9,314,176 
Workday, Inc., Class A(a)   54,001    11,617,235 
         158,207,218 
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals (0.53%)          
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.   790,520    7,407,172 
           
MATERIALS (4.41%)          
Chemicals (3.27%)          
Corteva, Inc.   225,000    6,482,250 
Dow Chemical Co.   184,991    8,703,827 
Ecolab, Inc.   38,335    7,660,866 
Linde PLC   35,258    8,395,988 
PPG Industries, Inc.   62,350    7,611,688 
RPM International, Inc.   80,000    6,627,200 
         45,481,819 
Construction Materials (0.46%)          
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.   27,000    6,354,720 
           
Containers & Packaging (0.68%)          
Ball Corp.   113,168    9,406,524 
           
REAL ESTATE (2.65%)          
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) (2.65%)          
American Tower Corp.   54,050    13,065,506 
Equinix, Inc.   22,628    17,200,222 
Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc.   52,600    3,224,380 

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

Third Quarter Report (Unaudited) | September 30, 2020 13

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Schedule of Investments

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

   SHARES   MARKET VALUE 
COMMON STOCKS (continued)          
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) (continued)          
Sun Communities, Inc.   23,800   $3,346,518 
         36,836,626 
UTILITIES (0.53%)          
Electric Utilities (0.53%)          
NRG Energy, Inc.   237,861    7,311,847 
           
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS          
(COST OF $1,138,634,732)        1,357,500,870 
           
SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS (2.59%)          
MONEY MARKET FUND (2.38%)          
State Street Institutional US Government Money Market Fund, 0.024%(d)          
(COST OF $33,046,968)   33,046,968    33,046,968 
          
INVESTMENTS PURCHASED WITH COLLATERAL FROM SECURITIES LOANED (0.21%)          
State Street Navigator Securities Lending Government Money Market Portfolio, 0.09%          
(COST OF $2,871,000)   2,871,000    2,871,000 
           
TOTAL SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS          
(COST OF $35,917,968)        35,917,968 
           
TOTAL INVESTMENTS (100.26%)          
(COST OF $1,174,552,700)        1,393,418,838 
           
LIABILITIES IN EXCESS OF OTHER ASSETS (-0.26%)        (3,580,153)
           
NET ASSETS (100.00%)       $1,389,838,685 
           
NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE          
(215,084,612 SHARES OUTSTANDING)       $6.46 

 

(a)Non-income producing security.
(b)Security, or a portion of the security position, is currently on loan. The total market value of securities on loan is $2,712,760.
(c)American Depositary Receipt.
(d)Rate reflects seven-day effective yield on September 30, 2020.

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

14 www.all-starfunds.com

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Notes to Schedule of Investments
 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

Security Valuation

Equity securities are valued at the last sale price at the close of the principal exchange on which they trade, except for securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (“NASDAQ”), which are valued at the NASDAQ official closing price. Unlisted securities or listed securities for which there were no sales during the day are valued at the closing bid price on such exchanges or over-the-counter markets.

 

Cash collateral from securities lending activity is reinvested in the State Street Navigator Securities Lending Government Money Market Portfolio (“State Street Navigator”), a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), which operates as a money market fund in compliance with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act. Shares of registered investment companies are valued daily at that investment company’s net asset value per share.

 

The Fund’s investments are valued at market value or, in the absence of market value with respect to any portfolio securities, at fair value according to procedures adopted by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”). When market quotations are not readily available, or in management’s judgment they do not accurately reflect fair value of a security, or an event occurs after the market close but before the Fund is priced that materially affects the value of a security, the security will be valued by the Fund’s Valuation Committee using fair valuation procedures established by the Board. Examples of potentially significant events that could materially impact a Fund’s net asset value include, but are not limited to: single issuer events such as corporate actions, reorganizations, mergers, spin-offs, liquidations, acquisitions and buyouts; corporate announcements on earnings or product offerings; regulatory news; and litigation and multiple issuer events such as governmental actions; natural disasters or armed conflicts that affect a country or a region; or significant market fluctuations. Potential significant events are monitored by the Advisor, ALPS Advisors, Inc. (the “Advisor”), Sub-Advisers and/or the Valuation Committee through independent reviews of market indicators, general news sources and communications from the Fund’s custodian. As of September 30, 2020, the Fund held no securities that were fair valued.

 

Security Transactions

Security transactions are recorded on trade date. Cost is determined and gains/(losses) are based upon the specific identification method for both financial statement and federal income tax purposes.

 

Income Recognition

Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Corporate actions and dividend income are recorded on the ex-date.

 

The Fund estimates components of distributions from real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). Distributions received in excess of income are recorded as a reduction of the cost of the related investments. Once the REIT reports annually the tax character of its distributions, the Fund revises its estimates. If the Fund no longer owns the applicable securities, any distributions received in excess of income are recorded as realized gains.

 

 

Third Quarter Report (Unaudited) | September 30, 2020 15

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Notes to Schedule of Investments

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

Lending of Portfolio Securities

The Fund may lend its portfolio securities only to borrowers that are approved by the Fund’s securities lending agent, State Street Bank & Trust Co. (“SSB”). The Fund will limit such lending to not more than 30% of the value of its total assets. The borrower pledges and maintains with the Fund collateral consisting of cash (U.S. Dollar only), securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities, or by irrevocable bank letters of credit issued by a person other than the borrower or an affiliate of the borrower. The initial collateral received by the Fund is required to have a value of no less than 102% of the market value of the loaned securities for securities traded on U.S. exchanges and a value of no less than 105% of the market value for all other securities. The collateral is maintained thereafter, at a market value equal to no less than 100% of the current value of the securities on loan. The market value of the loaned securities is determined at the close of each business day and any additional required collateral is delivered to 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. 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.

 

Any cash collateral received is reinvested in State Street Navigator. Non-cash collateral, in the form of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities, is not disclosed in the Fund’s Schedule of Investments as it is held by the lending agent on behalf of the Fund, and the Fund does not have the ability to re-hypothecate these securities.

 

The following is a summary of the Fund’s securities lending positions and related cash and non-cash collateral received as of September 30, 2020:

 

Market Value of
Securities on Loan
   Cash
Collateral Received
   Non-Cash
Collateral Received
   Total
Collateral Received
 
$2,712,760   $2,871,000   $0   $2,871,000 

 

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 SSB. SSB’s indemnity allows for full replacement of securities lent wherein SSB will purchase the unreturned loaned securities on the open market by applying the proceeds of the collateral, or to the extent such proceeds are insufficient or the collateral is unavailable, SSB will purchase the unreturned loan securities at SSB’s expense. However, the Fund could suffer a loss if the value of the investments purchased with cash collateral falls below the value of the cash collateral received.

 

Fair Value Measurements

The Fund discloses the classification of its fair value measurements following a three-tier hierarchy based on the inputs used to measure fair value. Inputs refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk. Inputs may be observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability that are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability that are developed based on the best information available.

 

 
16 www.all-starfunds.com

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Notes to Schedule of Investments

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

Valuation techniques used to value the Fund’s investments by major category are as follows:

 

Equity securities that are valued based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets are categorized as Level 1 in the hierarchy. In the event there were no sales during the day or closing prices are not available, securities are valued at the mean of the most recent quoted bid and ask prices on such day and are generally categorized as Level 2 in the hierarchy. Investments in shares of registered investment companies are valued at their closing NAV each business day and are categorized as Level 1 in the hierarchy.

 

Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments as of the end of the reporting period. When inputs used fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy, the level in the hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The designated input levels are not necessarily an indication of the risk or liquidity associated with these investments.

 

These inputs are categorized in the following hierarchy under applicable financial accounting standards:

 

Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical investments, unrestricted assets or liabilities that a Fund has the ability to access at the measurement date;

 

Level 2 – Quoted prices which are not active, quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or inputs other than quoted prices that are observable (either directly or indirectly) for substantially the full term of the asset or liability; and

 

Level 3 – Significant unobservable prices or inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments) where there is little or no market activity for the asset or liability at the measurement date.

 

The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2020:

 

  Valuation Inputs      
Investments in Securities at Value   Level 1    Level 2    Level 3    Total 
Common Stocks*  $1,357,500,870   $   $   $1,357,500,870 
Short Term Investments   35,917,968            35,917,968 
Total  $1,393,418,838   $   $   $1,393,418,838 

 

*See Schedule of Investments for industry classifications.

 

The Fund did not have any securities which used significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) in determining fair value during the period.

 

 

Third Quarter Report (Unaudited) | September 30, 2020 17

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Notes to Schedule of Investments

 

September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

Indemnification

In the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations and warranties and which provide general indemnities. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims against the Fund. Also, under the Fund’s organizational documents and by contract, the Trustees and Officers of the Fund are indemnified against certain liabilities that may arise out of their duties to the Fund. However, based on experience, the Fund expects the risk of loss due to these warranties and indemnities to be minimal.

 

 
18 www.all-starfunds.com

 

 

 

 

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Description of Lipper Benchmark
and Market Indices
 

  September 30, 2020 (Unaudited)

 

Dow Jones Industrial Average

A price-weighted measure of 30 U.S. blue-chip companies.

 

Lipper Large-Cap Core Mutual Fund Average

The average of funds that, by portfolio practice, invest at least 75% of their equity assets in companies with market capitalizations (on a three-year weighted basis) above Lipper’s U.S. domestic equity large-cap floor. These funds typically have average characteristics compared to the S&P 500® Index.

 

NASDAQ Composite Index

Measures all NASDAQ domestic and international based common type stocks listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market.

 

Russell 1000® Growth Index

Measures the performance of those Russell 1000® companies with lower book-to-price ratios and higher growth values. The Russell 1000® Index measures the performance of the 1,000 largest companies in the Russell 3000® Index.

 

Russell 1000® Value Index

Measures the performance of those Russell 1000® companies with higher book-to-price ratios and lower growth values. The Russell 1000® Index measures the performance of the 1,000 largest companies in the Russell 3000® Index.

 

S&P 500® Index

A large-cap U.S. equities index that includes 500 leading companies and captures approximately 80% coverage of available market capitalization.

 

An investor cannot invest directly in an index.

 

 

Third Quarter Report (Unaudited) | September 30, 2020 19

 

 

 

 

Intentionally Left Blank

 

 

 

 

     
   
     
     
INVESTMENT ADVISOR LEGAL COUNSEL  
ALPS Advisors, Inc. K&L Gates LLP  
1290 Broadway, Suite 1000 1601 K Street, NW  
Denver, Colorado 80203 Washington, DC 20006  
303-623-2577    
www.all-starfunds.com TRUSTEES  
   
  Thomas W. Brock*, Chairman  
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED Edmund J. Burke  
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM George R. Gaspari*  
Deloitte & Touche LLP Milton M. Irvin*  
1601 Wewatta Street, Suite 400 Dr. John J. Neuhauser*  
Denver, Colorado 80202 Maureen K. Usifer*  
     
     
CUSTODIAN OFFICERS  
State Street Bank & Trust Company William R. Parmentier, Jr., President  
One Lincoln Street Mark T. Haley, CFA, Senior Vice President  
Boston, Massachusetts 02111 Jill Kerschen, Treasurer  
  Sareena Khwaja-Dixon, Secretary  
Jennifer Craig, Assistant Secretary  
INVESTOR ASSISTANCE,
TRANSFER & DIVIDEND
DISBURSING AGENT & REGISTRAR
Matthew Sutula, Chief Compliance Officer

*  Member of the Audit Committee
 
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.    
P.O. Box 505000    
Louisville, Kentucky 40233    
1-800-LIB-FUND (1-800-542-3863)    
www.computershare.com    
     

A description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures is available (i) on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) website at www.sec.gov, and (ii) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-542-3863. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 is available from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

The Fund files a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year in Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORTs are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

 

Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 23(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 that the Fund may purchase at market prices from time to time shares of its own common stock in the open market.

 

This report is transmitted to shareholders of Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund for their information. It is not a prospectus or other document intended for use in the purchase of Fund shares.