N-CSRS 1 d376784.htm N-CSRS

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811-21416

John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

200 Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Salvatore Schiavone
Treasurer

200 Berkeley Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02116
(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 617-663-4497

Date of fiscal year end: October 31
   
Date of reporting period: April 30, 2020



ITEM 1. REPORTS TO STOCKHOLDERS.



John Hancock

Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund

Ticker: HTD
Semiannual report 4/30/2020

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the fund's shareholder reports such as this one will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the transfer agent or from your financial intermediary. Instead, the reports will be made available on our website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and be provided with a website link to access the report.

If you have already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you do not need to take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications electronically by calling the transfer agent, Computershare, at 800-852-0218, by going to "Communication Preferences" at computershare.com/investor, or by contacting your financial intermediary.

You may elect to receive all reports in paper, free of charge, at any time. You can inform the transfer agent or your financial intermediary that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports by following the instructions listed above. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with John Hancock Investment Management or your financial intermediary.

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Managed distribution plan

On September 19, 2016, the fund adopted a managed distribution plan (Plan). Under the Plan, the fund makes monthly distributions of an amount equal to $0.1380 per share, which will be paid monthly until further notice. The fund may make additional distributions (i) for purposes of not incurring federal income tax on investment company taxable income and net capital gain, if any, not included in such regular distributions and (ii) for purposes of not incurring federal excise tax on ordinary income and capital gain net income, if any, not included in such regular monthly distributions.

The Plan provides that the Board of Trustees of the fund may amend the terms of the Plan or terminate the Plan at any time without prior notice to the fund's shareholders. The Plan is subject to periodic review by the fund's Board of Trustees.

You should not draw any conclusions about the fund's investment performance from the amount of the fund's distributions or from the terms of the Plan. The fund's total return at NAV is presented in the Financial highlights.

With each distribution that does not consist solely of net investment income, the fund will issue a notice to shareholders and an accompanying press release that will provide detailed information regarding the amount and composition of the distribution and other related information. The amounts and sources of distributions reported in the notice to shareholders are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. 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. The fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. The fund may at times distribute more than its net investment income and net realized capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may result in a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the fund is paid back to you. A return of capital does not necessarily reflect the fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income."


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A message to shareholders

Dear shareholder,

The U.S. financial markets were on pace to deliver strong returns during the 6 months ended April 30, 2020, until heightened fears over the coronavirus (COVID-19) sent markets tumbling during the latter half of February and early March.

In response to the sell-off, the U.S. Federal Reserve acted quickly with a broad array of actions to limit the economic damage from the pandemic, including up to $2.3 trillion in lending to support households, employers, financial markets, and state and local governments. These steps, along with the passage of an estimated $2 trillion federal economic stimulus bill, helped lift the markets during the final month of the period.

The continued spread of COVID-19, trade disputes, rising unemployment, and other geopolitical tensions may continue to create uncertainty among businesses and investors. Your financial professional can help position your portfolio so that it's sufficiently diversified to seek to meet your long-term objectives and to withstand the inevitable bouts of market volatility along the way.      

On behalf of everyone at John Hancock Investment Management, I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome new shareholders and thank existing shareholders for the continued trust you've placed in us.

Sincerely,

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Andrew G. Arnott
President and CEO,
John Hancock Investment Management
Head of Wealth and Asset Management,
United States and Europe

This commentary reflects the CEO's views as of this report's period end and are subject to change at any time. Diversification does not guarantee investment returns and does not eliminate risk of loss. All investments entail risks, including the possible loss of principal. For more up-to-date information, you can visit our website at jhinvestments.com.


John Hancock
Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund

Table of contents

     
2   Your fund at a glance
3   Portfolio summary
5   Fund's investments
12   Financial statements
16   Financial highlights
18   Notes to financial statements
28   Additional information
29   Shareholder meeting
30   More information

SEMIANNUAL REPORT   |   JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND       1


Your fund at a glance

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE


The fund seeks to provide a high level of after-tax total return from dividend income and capital appreciation.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS AS OF 4/30/2020 (%)


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The blended index is 55% ICE Bank of America Preferred Stock DRD Eligible Index and 45% S&P 500 Utilities Index.

The ICE Bank of America Preferred Stock DRD Eligible Index consists of investment-grade fixed-rate U.S. dollar-denominated preferred securities and fixed-to-floating-rate securities. The index includes securities having a minimum remaining term of at least one year, dividend received deduction (DRD) eligible preferred stock and senior debt.

The S&P 500 Utilities Index is a capitalization-weighted index that consists of companies in the S&P 500 Index that are primarily involved in water, electrical power, and natural gas distribution industries.

It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Index figures do not reflect expenses or sales charges, which would result in lower returns.

The performance data contained within this material represents past performance, which does not guarantee future results.

Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate and a shareholder may sustain losses. Further, the fund's performance at net asset value (NAV) is different from the fund's performance at closing market price because the closing market price is subject to the dynamics of secondary market trading. Market risk may be augmented when shares are purchased at a premium to NAV or sold at a discount to NAV. Current month-end performance may be higher or lower than the performance cited. The fund's most recent performance can be found at jhinvestments.com or by calling 800-852-0218.

SEMIANNUAL REPORT   |   JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND       2


Portfolio summary

PORTFOLIO COMPOSITION AS OF 4/30/2020 (%)


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SECTOR COMPOSITION AS OF 4/30/2020 (%)


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COUNTRY COMPOSITION AS OF 4/30/2020 (%)


   
United States 89.8
United Kingdom 4.8
Canada 3.0
France 1.2
Other countries 1.2
TOTAL 100.0
As a percentage of total investments.  

SEMIANNUAL REPORT   |   JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND       3


TOP 10 ISSUERS AS OF 4/30/2020 (%)


   
Dominion Energy, Inc. 4.4
PPL Corp. 3.9
The Southern Company 3.8
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. 3.7
DTE Energy Company 3.6
Duke Energy Corp. 3.3
American Electric Power Company, Inc. 3.2
Ameren Corp. 3.2
Interstate Power & Light Company 2.9
Southern California Edison Company 2.8
TOTAL 34.8
As a percentage of total investments.
Cash and cash equivalents are not included.

A note about risks

As is the case with all exchange-listed closed-end funds, shares of this fund may trade at a discount or a premium to the fund's net asset value (NAV). An investment in the fund is subject to investment and market risks, including the possible loss of the entire principal invested. There is no guarantee prior distribution levels will be maintained, and distributions may include a substantial return of capital. The value of a company's equity securities is subject to changes in its financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. Fixed-income investments are subject to interest-rate and credit risk; their value will normally decline as interest rates rise or if an issuer, grantor, or counterparty is unable or unwilling to make principal, interest, or settlement payments. Investments in higher-yielding, lower-rated securities are subject to a higher risk of default. An issuer of securities held by the fund may default, have its credit rating downgraded, or otherwise perform poorly, which may affect fund performance. Liquidity—the extent to which a security may be sold or a derivative position closed without negatively affecting its market value—may be impaired by reduced trading volume, heightened volatility, rising interest rates, and other market conditions. The fund's use of leverage creates additional risks, including greater volatility of the fund's NAV, market price, and returns. There is no assurance that the fund's leverage strategy will be successful. Focusing on a particular industry or sector may increase the fund's volatility and make it more susceptible to market, economic, and regulatory risks as well as other factors affecting those industries or sectors. Derivatives transactions, such as hedging and other strategic transactions, may increase a fund's volatility and could produce disproportionate losses, potentially more than the fund's principal investment. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause a fund or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. Similar incidents affecting issuers of fund securities may negatively affect performance.

A widespread health crisis such as a global pandemic could cause substantial market volatility, exchange trading suspensions and closures, impact the ability to complete redemptions, and affect fund performance. For example, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has resulted in significant disruptions to global business activity. The impact of a health crisis and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could affect the global economy in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. A health crisis may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social, and economic risks. Any such impact could adversely affect the funds' performance, resulting in losses to your investment.

SEMIANNUAL REPORT   |   JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND       4


Fund’ s investments
AS OF 4-30-20 (unaudited)
        Shares Value
Common stocks 77.0% (48.6% of Total investments)   $558,237,732
(Cost $444,389,540)          
Communication services 4.3%         31,072,742
Diversified telecommunication services 4.3%    
AT&T, Inc. (A)       550,000 16,758,500
Verizon Communications, Inc. (A)(B)       249,160 14,314,242
Consumer staples 1.1%         8,056,800
Tobacco 1.1%    
Philip Morris International, Inc.       108,000 8,056,800
Energy 11.7%         84,532,122
Oil, gas and consumable fuels 11.7%    
BP PLC, ADR (C)       845,450 20,121,710
Enbridge, Inc.       347,106 10,649,212
Equitrans Midstream Corp. (C)       720,000 6,033,600
Kinder Morgan, Inc.       925,000 14,087,750
ONEOK, Inc. (A)(B)       425,000 12,720,250
The Williams Companies, Inc. (A)(B)       1,080,000 20,919,600
Financials 3.6%         26,196,550
Banks 1.0%    
PacWest Bancorp (A)(B)       349,459 7,073,050
Capital markets 2.6%    
Ares Management Corp., Class A       570,000 19,123,500
Utilities 56.3%         408,379,518
Electric utilities 32.8%    
Alliant Energy Corp.       390,000 18,934,500
American Electric Power Company, Inc. (A)(B)(C)       440,000 36,568,400
Duke Energy Corp. (A)(B)       320,000 27,091,200
Entergy Corp. (A)(B)       318,000 30,372,180
Eversource Energy (A)(B)       320,000 25,824,000
FirstEnergy Corp. (A)(B)       350,000 14,444,500
NextEra Energy, Inc. (A)       33,718 7,792,904
OGE Energy Corp. (C)       540,000 17,020,800
Pinnacle West Capital Corp.       50,000 3,849,500
PPL Corp.       775,000 19,700,500
The Southern Company (A)(B)       405,000 22,975,650
Xcel Energy, Inc. (A)(B)       207,000 13,156,920
Gas utilities 0.2%    
UGI Corp.       50,000 1,509,000
Independent power and renewable electricity producers 1.5%    
AES Corp.       800,000 10,600,000
5 JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND |SEMIANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

        Shares Value
Utilities (continued)          
Multi-utilities 21.8%    
Ameren Corp. (A)(B)(C)       500,000 $36,375,000
Black Hills Corp. (A)(B)       394,775 24,452,364
CenterPoint Energy, Inc.       880,000 14,986,400
Dominion Energy, Inc. (A)(B)       300,000 23,139,000
DTE Energy Company (C)       240,000 24,897,600
National Grid PLC, ADR (A)(B)       201,583 11,804,700
NiSource, Inc.       770,000 19,334,700
Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (A)(B)       70,000 3,549,700
Preferred securities 61.9% (39.1% of Total investments)   $449,005,447
(Cost $457,637,207)          
Communication services 4.5%         32,378,817
Diversified telecommunication services 2.3%  
Qwest Corp., 6.125% (C)   730,000 16,410,400
Wireless telecommunication services 2.2%  
Telephone & Data Systems, Inc., 5.875%   340,000 8,112,400
Telephone & Data Systems, Inc., 6.625%   39,768 931,764
Telephone & Data Systems, Inc., 6.875%   261,064 6,171,553
United States Cellular Corp., 6.950%   30,000 752,700
Energy 3.4%         25,061,080
Oil, gas and consumable fuels 3.4%  
Enbridge, Inc., Series B (6.375% to 4-15-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.593%)   210,000 4,937,100
Sempra Energy, 6.000% (A)   64,600 6,609,226
Sempra Energy, 6.750% (A)   133,400 13,514,754
Financials 17.6%         127,939,137
Banks 11.7%  
Citigroup, Inc. (7.125% to 9-30-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.040%)   210,854 5,764,748
Fifth Third Bancorp, 6.000%   400,000 10,916,000
JPMorgan Chase & Co., 6.100% (C)   510,000 13,163,100
Synovus Financial Corp. (6.300% to 6-21-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.352%)   188,000 4,277,000
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., 5.375% (C)   280,000 7,154,000
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (6.125% to 5-1-22, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.067%)   40,000 1,054,400
Truist Financial Corp., Series F, 5.200%   150,000 3,780,000
Truist Financial Corp., Series G, 5.200%   480,000 12,201,600
U.S. Bancorp, 5.150% (C)   720,000 18,511,200
U.S. Bancorp (6.500% to 1-15-22, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.468%)   296,000 7,994,960
Capital markets 3.9%  
Morgan Stanley (6.375% to 10-15-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.708%)   220,000 5,907,000
Morgan Stanley (7.125% to 10-15-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.320%)   395,862 10,767,446
State Street Corp. (5.900% to 3-15-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.108%)   25,000 653,500
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND 6

 

        Shares Value
Financials (continued)          
Capital markets (continued)  
The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., 5.200%   425,000 $10,892,750
Consumer finance 0.3%  
Capital One Financial Corp., 6.200%   100,183 2,569,694
Insurance 1.7%  
Athene Holding, Ltd., Series A (6.350% to 6-30-29, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.253%)   355,787 8,634,950
Brighthouse Financial, Inc., 6.600%   100,000 2,497,000
Prudential Financial, Inc., 5.750%   47,460 1,199,789
Information technology 2.7%         19,331,360
Semiconductors and semiconductor equipment 2.7%  
Broadcom, Inc., 8.000% (A)   19,000 19,331,360
Real estate 0.1%         754,500
Equity real estate investment trusts 0.1%  
American Homes 4 Rent, Series D, 6.500%   30,000 754,500
Utilities 33.6%         243,540,553
Electric utilities 18.5%  
Duke Energy Corp., 5.125%   221,008 5,576,032
Duke Energy Corp., 5.750%   200,000 5,518,000
Interstate Power & Light Company, 5.100% (C)   1,302,023 33,461,991
NextEra Energy Capital Holdings, Inc., 5.000%   110,000 2,752,200
NextEra Energy, Inc., 5.279% (A)   320,000 13,820,800
PPL Capital Funding, Inc., 5.900% (C)   1,013,052 25,457,997
SCE Trust II, 5.100% (C)   1,157,500 27,108,650
The Southern Company, 6.750% (A)   435,000 20,592,900
Gas utilities 2.2%  
South Jersey Industries, Inc., 7.250% (A)   220,200 9,867,162
Spire, Inc., 5.900%   219,650 5,871,245
Multi-utilities 12.9%  
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. (6.200% to 7-1-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.010%)   200,000 5,466,000
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. (6.875% to 10-17-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.677%)   479,050 13,221,780
CenterPoint Energy, Inc., 7.000%   528,000 17,867,520
Dominion Energy, Inc., 7.250% (A)   281,000 27,602,630
DTE Energy Company, 5.250% (C)   166,933 4,196,696
DTE Energy Company, 6.250% (A)   284,000 11,871,200
Integrys Holding, Inc. (6.000% to 8-1-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.220%)   210,000 5,250,000
NiSource, Inc. (6.500% to 3-15-24, then 5 Year CMT + 3.632%)   250,000 6,892,500
Sempra Energy, 5.750%   45,000 1,145,250
    
7 JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND |SEMIANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

  Rate (%) Maturity date   Par value^ Value
Corporate bonds 17.3% (11.0% of Total investments)   $125,893,691
(Cost $137,291,812)          
Consumer discretionary 1.1%       8,586,000
Automobiles 1.1%      
General Motors Financial Company, Inc. (6.500% to 9-30-28, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.436%) (A)(B)(D) 6.500 09-30-28   10,600,000 8,586,000
Financials 13.7%       99,281,923
Banks 10.5%      
Bank of America Corp. (5.875% to 3-15-28, then 3 month LIBOR + 2.931%) (A)(D) 5.875 03-15-28   8,500,000 8,671,445
BNP Paribas SA (7.375% to 8-19-25, then 5 Year U.S. Swap Rate + 5.150%) (A)(D) 7.375 08-19-25   13,000,000 13,503,750
Citigroup, Inc. (6.125% to 11-15-20, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.478%) (D) 6.125 11-15-20   1,432,000 1,389,613
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (6.000% to 7-6-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.003%) (A)(D) 6.000 07-06-23   13,000,000 11,115,000
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (6.375% to 4-6-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.157%) (A)(D) 6.375 04-06-24   10,500,000 9,922,500
HSBC Holdings PLC (6.500% to 3-23-28, then 5 Year ICE Swap Rate + 3.606%) (A)(D) 6.500 03-23-28   2,500,000 2,480,300
Huntington Bancshares, Inc. (5.700% to 4-15-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 2.880%) (A)(D) 5.700 04-15-23   3,000,000 2,640,000
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (6.750% to 2-1-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.780%) (A)(D) 6.750 02-01-24   3,999,000 4,293,246
Lloyds Banking Group PLC (7.500% to 6-27-24, then 5 Year U.S. Swap Rate + 4.760%) (A)(D) 7.500 06-27-24   11,500,000 11,270,000
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (8.000% to 8-10-25, then 5 Year U.S. Swap Rate + 5.720%) (A)(B)(C)(D) 8.000 08-10-25   8,624,000 8,971,116
Wells Fargo & Company (5.900% to 6-15-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.110%) (A)(B)(D) 5.900 06-15-24   2,000,000 2,030,000
Capital markets 1.8%      
Credit Suisse Group AG (7.500% to 7-17-23, then 5 Year U.S. Swap Rate + 4.600%) (A)(D)(E) 7.500 07-17-23   6,214,000 6,276,140
The Charles Schwab Corp. (5.375% to 6-1-25, then 5 Year CMT + 4.971%) (D) 5.375 06-01-25   6,400,000 6,640,000
Insurance 1.4%      
MetLife, Inc. (5.875% to 3-15-28, then 3 month LIBOR + 2.959%) (A)(B)(D) 5.875 03-15-28   1,000,000 1,030,000
SBL Holdings, Inc. (7.000% to 5-13-25, then 5 Year CMT + 5.580%) (D)(E) 7.000 05-13-25   13,975,000 9,048,813
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND 8

 

  Rate (%) Maturity date   Par value^ Value
Utilities 2.5%       $18,025,768
Electric utilities 0.6%      
Southern California Edison Company (6.250% to 2-1-22, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.199%) (A)(D) 6.250 02-01-22   4,750,000 4,536,393
Multi-utilities 1.9%      
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (6.125% to 9-1-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.270%) (A)(D) 6.125 09-01-23   10,750,000 9,809,375
NiSource, Inc. (5.650% to 6-15-23, then 5 Year CMT + 2.843%) (A)(D) 5.650 06-15-23   4,000,000 3,680,000
    
  Yield* (%) Maturity date   Par value^ Value
Short-term investments 2.0% (1.3% of Total investments) $14,645,000
(Cost $14,645,000)          
U.S. Government Agency 0.2%         1,406,000
Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp. Discount Note 0.010 05-01-20   1,406,000 1,406,000
    
        Par value^ Value
Repurchase agreement 1.8%         13,239,000
Repurchase Agreement with State Street Corp. dated 4-30-20 at 0.000% to be repurchased at $13,239,000 on 5-1-20, collateralized by $13,245,000 U.S. Treasury Notes, 1.500% due 10-31-21 (valued at $13,506,284)       13,239,000 13,239,000
    
Total investments (Cost $1,053,963,559) 158.2%     $1,147,781,870
Other assets and liabilities, net (58.2%)     (422,414,533)
Total net assets 100.0%     $725,367,337
    
The percentage shown for each investment category is the total value of the category as a percentage of the net assets of the fund unless otherwise indicated.
^All par values are denominated in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.
Security Abbreviations and Legend
ADR American Depositary Receipt
CMT Constant Maturity Treasury
ICE Intercontinental Exchange
LIBOR London Interbank Offered Rate
(A) All or a portion of this security is pledged as collateral pursuant to the Liquidity Agreement. Total collateral value at 4-30-20 was $481,210,091. A portion of the securities pledged as collateral were loaned pursuant to the Liquidity Agreement. The value of securities on loan amounted to $246,316,698.
(B) All or a portion of this security is on loan as of 4-30-20, and is a component of the fund's leverage under the Liquidity Agreement.
(C) All or a portion of this security is segregated as collateral for options. Total collateral value at 4-30-20 was $102,231,602.
(D) Perpetual bonds have no stated maturity date. Date shown as maturity date is next call date.
(E) These securities are exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. Such securities may be resold, normally to qualified institutional buyers, in transactions exempt from registration.
9 JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND |SEMIANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

* Yield represents either the annualized yield at the date of purchase, the stated coupon rate or, for floating rate securities, the rate at period end.
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND 10

 

DERIVATIVES
FUTURES
Open contracts Number of
contracts
Position Expiration
date
Notional
basis^
Notional
value^
Unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation)
10-Year U.S. Treasury Note Futures 980 Short Jun 2020 $(129,128,210) $(136,281,250) $(7,153,040)
            $(7,153,040)
^ Notional basis refers to the contractual amount agreed upon at inception of open contracts; notional value represents the current value of the open contract.
WRITTEN OPTIONS
Options on index
Counterparty (OTC)/
Exchange-
traded
Name of
issuer
  Exercise
price
Expiration
date
Number of
contracts
Notional
amount
Premium Value
Calls                
Exchange-traded S&P 500 Index USD 2,520.00 May 2020 19 1,900 $180,105 $(740,620)
Exchange-traded S&P 500 Index USD 2,850.00 May 2020 30 3,000 235,109 (263,400)
Exchange-traded S&P 500 Index USD 3,090.00 May 2020 62 6,200 65,671 (35,340)
Exchange-traded S&P 500 Index USD 2,880.00 May 2020 30 3,000 202,476 (295,650)
Exchange-traded S&P 500 Index USD 2,325.00 Jun 2020 16 1,600 344,787 (953,440)
Exchange-traded S&P 500 Index USD 2,850.00 Jul 2020 60 6,000 1,051,153 (1,130,400)
Exchange-traded S&P 500 Index USD 2,875.00 Jul 2020 111 11,100 1,763,996 (1,915,305)
              $3,843,297 $(5,334,155)
SWAPS
Interest rate swaps
Counterparty (OTC)/
Centrally cleared
Notional
amount
Currency Payments
made
Payments
received
Fixed
payment
frequency
Floating
payment
frequency
Maturity
date
Unamortized
upfront
payment paid
(received)
Unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation)
Value
Centrally cleared 107,000,000 USD Fixed 2.136% USD 3 month LIBOR BBA(a) Semi-Annual Quarterly Oct 2022 $(4,746,908) $(4,746,908)
                $(4,746,908) $(4,746,908)
    
(a) At 4-30-20, the 3 month LIBOR was 0.556%.
    
Derivatives Currency Abbreviations
USD U.S. Dollar
    
Derivatives Abbreviations
BBA The British Banker's Association
LIBOR London Interbank Offered Rate
OTC Over-the-counter
At 4-30-20, the aggregate cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was $1,056,012,411. Net unrealized appreciation aggregated to $74,535,356, of which $172,995,284 related to gross unrealized appreciation and $98,459,928 related to gross unrealized depreciation.
See Notes to financial statements regarding investment transactions and other derivatives information.
11 JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND |SEMIANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Financial statements
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 4-30-20 (unaudited)

Assets  
Unaffiliated investments, at value (Cost $1,053,963,559) $1,147,781,870
Receivable for centrally cleared swaps 1,252,368
Cash 11,925
Collateral held at broker for futures contracts 2,604,612
Dividends and interest receivable 3,517,437
Other assets 44,729
Total assets 1,155,212,941
Liabilities  
Written options, at value (Premiums received $3,843,297) 5,334,155
Payable for futures variation margin 91,875
Liquidity agreement 418,900,000
Payable for investments purchased 4,877,053
Interest payable 464,059
Payable to affiliates  
Accounting and legal services fees 39,795
Trustees' fees 953
Other liabilities and accrued expenses 137,714
Total liabilities 429,845,604
Net assets $725,367,337
Net assets consist of  
Paid-in capital $659,078,419
Total distributable earnings (loss) 66,288,918
Net assets $725,367,337
 
Net asset value per share  
Based on 35,400,819 shares of beneficial interest outstanding - unlimited number of shares authorized with no par value $20.49
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND 12

 

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS For the six months ended  4-30-20 (unaudited)

Investment income  
Dividends $29,851,759
Interest 3,501,717
Less foreign taxes withheld (133,563)
Total investment income 33,219,913
Expenses  
Investment management fees 4,866,668
Interest expense 4,380,021
Accounting and legal services fees 73,864
Transfer agent fees 12,044
Trustees' fees 20,953
Custodian fees 65,482
Printing and postage 114,779
Professional fees 37,513
Stock exchange listing fees 17,172
Other 24,419
Total expenses 9,612,915
Less expense reductions (46,670)
Net expenses 9,566,245
Net investment income 23,653,668
Realized and unrealized gain (loss)  
Net realized gain (loss) on  
Unaffiliated investments and foreign currency transactions 12,160,071
Futures contracts (364,883)
Written options (14,637,458)
Swap contracts (127,026)
  (2,969,296)
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of  
Unaffiliated investments (204,607,434)
Futures contracts (8,268,775)
Written options (556,521)
Swap contracts (2,775,983)
  (216,208,713)
Net realized and unrealized loss (219,178,009)
Decrease in net assets from operations $(195,524,341)
13 JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND |SEMIANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS  

  Six months ended
4-30-20
(unaudited)
Year ended
10-31-19
Increase (decrease) in net assets    
From operations    
Net investment income $23,653,668 $41,577,376
Net realized gain (loss) (2,969,296) 19,576,221
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) (216,208,713) 100,446,567
Increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations (195,524,341) 161,600,164
Distributions to shareholders    
From earnings (29,310,252) (72,932,499)
Total distributions (29,310,252) (72,932,499)
Fund share transactions    
Issued pursuant to Dividend Reinvestment Plan 210,544 214,746
Total increase (decrease) (224,624,049) 88,882,411
Net assets    
Beginning of period 949,991,386 861,108,975
End of period $725,367,337 $949,991,386
Share activity    
Shares outstanding    
Beginning of period 35,392,935 35,384,961
Issued pursuant to Dividend Reinvestment Plan 7,884 7,974
End of period 35,400,819 35,392,935
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND 14

 

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS For the six months ended   4-30-20 (unaudited)

   
Cash flows from operating activities  
Net decrease in net assets from operations $(195,524,341)
Adjustments to reconcile net decrease in net assets from operations to net cash provided by operating activities:  
Long-term investments purchased (91,869,056)
Long-term investments sold 137,980,461
Net purchases and sales in short-term investments 2,748,827
Net amortization of premium (discount) 540,517
(Increase) Decrease in assets:  
Receivable for centrally cleared swaps (293,101)
Collateral held at broker for futures contracts (1,325,637)
Dividends and interest receivable (507,361)
Receivable for investments sold 2,905,125
Other assets (15,766)
Increase (Decrease) in liabilities:  
Payable for futures variation margin (704,375)
Written options, at value 2,603,642
Payable for investments purchased (10,445,927)
Interest payable (459,105)
Payable to affiliates (42,722)
Other liabilities and accrued expenses (32,085)
Net change in unrealized (appreciation) depreciation on:  
Investments 204,607,434
Net realized (gain) loss on:  
Investments (12,162,113)
Net cash provided by operating activities $38,004,417
Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities  
Distributions to shareholders $(29,099,708)
Borrowings from liquidity agreement (9,000,000)
Net cash used in financing activities $(38,099,708)
Net decrease in cash $(95,291)
Cash at beginning of period $107,216
Cash at end of period $11,925
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:  
Cash paid for interest $(4,839,126)
Noncash financing activities not included herein consists of reinvestment distributions $210,544
15 JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND |SEMIANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Financial highlights
Period ended 4-30-20 1 10-31-19 10-31-18 10-31-17 10-31-16 10-31-15
Per share operating performance            
Net asset value, beginning of period $26.84 $24.34 $26.42 $25.68 $23.40 $23.82
Net investment income2 0.67 1.17 1.33 1.65 1.44 1.38
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (6.19) 3.39 (1.22) 0.91 2.29 (0.44)
Total from investment operations (5.52) 4.56 0.11 2.56 3.73 0.94
Less distributions            
From net investment income (0.83) (1.65) (1.66) (1.66) (1.47) (1.45)
From net realized gain (0.41) (0.53) (0.16)
Total distributions (0.83) (2.06) (2.19) (1.82) (1.47) (1.45)
Anti-dilutive impact of repurchase plan 0.02 3 0.09 3
Net asset value, end of period $20.49 $26.84 $24.34 $26.42 $25.68 $23.40
Per share market value, end of period $19.57 $27.44 $22.37 $25.60 $23.83 $20.98
Total return at net asset value (%)4,5 (20.81) 6 20.34 0.97 10.73 16.97 5.24
Total return at market value (%)4 (26.02) 6 33.87 (4.23) 15.62 21.06 2.91
Ratios and supplemental data            
Net assets, end of period (in millions) $725 $950 $861 $935 $909 $836
Ratios (as a percentage of average net assets):            
Expenses before reductions 2.20 7 2.62 2.45 1.97 1.72 1.64
Expenses including reductions8 2.19 7 2.61 2.44 1.96 1.71 1.63
Net investment income 5.41 7 4.63 5.40 6.41 5.78 5.88
Portfolio turnover (%) 7 13 24 11 18 11
Senior securities            
Total debt outstanding end of period (in millions) $419 $428 $428 $428 $428 $428
Asset coverage per $1,000 of debt9 $2,732 $3,220 $3,012 $3,185 $3,123 $2,953
    
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund 16

 

1 Six months ended 4-30-20. Unaudited.
2 Based on average daily shares outstanding.
3 The repurchase plan was completed at an average repurchase price of $20.47 and $20.33 for 326,200 shares and 1,341,340 shares for the periods ended 10-31-16 and 10-31-15, respectively.
4 Total return based on net asset value reflects changes in the fund’s net asset value during each period. Total return based on market value reflects changes in market value. Each figure assumes that distributions from income, capital gains and tax return of capital, if any, were reinvested.
5 Total returns would have been lower had certain expenses not been reduced during the applicable periods.
6 Not annualized.
7 Annualized.
8 Expenses including reductions excluding interest expense were 1.19% (annualized), 1.18%, 1.20%, 1.19%, 1.19% and 1.20% for the periods ended 4-30-20, 10-31-19, 10-31-18, 10-31-17, 10-31-16 and 10-31-15, respectively.
9 Asset coverage equals the total net assets plus borrowings divided by the borrowings of the fund outstanding at period end (Note 8). As debt outstanding changes, the level of invested assets may change accordingly. Asset coverage ratio provides a measure of leverage.
17 JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund |SEMIANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)
Note 1Organization
John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (the fund) is a closed-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust and registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act).
Note 2Significant accounting policies
The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (US GAAP), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions as of the date of the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates and those differences could be significant. The fund qualifies as an investment company under Topic 946 of Accounting Standards Codification of US GAAP.
Events or transactions occurring after the end of the fiscal period through the date that the financial statements were issued have been evaluated in the preparation of the financial statements. The following summarizes the significant accounting policies of the fund:
Security valuation. Investments are stated at value as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), normally at 4:00 P.M., Eastern Time. In case of emergency or other disruption resulting in the NYSE not opening for trading or the NYSE closing at a time other than the regularly scheduled close, the net asset value (NAV) may be determined as of the regularly scheduled close of the NYSE pursuant to the fund's Valuation Policies and Procedures.
In order to value the securities, the fund uses the following valuation techniques: Equity securities, including exchange-traded or closed-end funds, are typically valued at the last sale price or official closing price on the exchange or principal market where the security trades. In the event there were no sales during the day or closing prices are not available, the securities are valued using the last available bid price. Debt obligations are typically valued based on evaluated prices provided by an independent pricing vendor. Independent pricing vendors utilize matrix pricing, which takes into account factors such as institutional-size trading in similar groups of securities, yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics and other market data, as well as broker supplied prices. Exchange-traded options are valued at the mid-price of the last quoted bid and ask prices from the exchange where the option trades. Unlisted options are valued using evaluated prices obtained from an independent pricing vendor. Futures contracts are typically valued at the last traded price on the exchange on which they trade. Swaps are generally valued using evaluated prices obtained from an independent pricing vendor.
In certain instances, the Pricing Committee may determine to value equity securities using prices obtained from another exchange or market if trading on the exchange or market on which prices are typically obtained did not open for trading as scheduled, or if trading closed earlier than scheduled, and trading occurred as normal on another exchange or market.
Other portfolio securities and assets, for which reliable market quotations are not readily available, are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the fund's Pricing Committee following procedures established by the Board of Trustees. The frequency with which these fair valuation procedures are used cannot be predicted and fair value of securities may differ significantly from the value that would have been used had a ready market for such securities existed.
The fund uses a three-tier hierarchy to prioritize the pricing assumptions, referred to as inputs, used in valuation techniques to measure fair value. Level 1 includes securities valued using quoted prices in active markets for identical securities, including registered investment companies. Level 2 includes securities valued using other significant observable inputs. Observable inputs may include quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds and credit risk. Prices for securities valued using these inputs are received from independent pricing vendors and brokers and are based on an evaluation of the inputs described. Level 3 includes securities valued using significant unobservable inputs when market prices are not readily available or reliable, including the fund's own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments. Factors used in determining value may
  SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund 18

 

include market or issuer specific events or trends, changes in interest rates and credit quality. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risks associated with investing in those securities. Changes in valuation techniques and related inputs may result in transfers into or out of an assigned level within the disclosure hierarchy.
The following is a summary of the values by input classification of the fund's investments as of April 30, 2020, by major security category or type:
  Total
value at
4-30-20
Level 1
quoted
price
Level 2
significant
observable
inputs
Level 3
significant
unobservable
inputs
Investments in securities:        
Assets        
Common stocks $558,237,732 $558,237,732
Preferred securities        
Communication services 32,378,817 32,378,817
Energy 25,061,080 25,061,080
Financials 127,939,137 127,939,137
Information technology 19,331,360 19,331,360
Real estate 754,500 754,500
Utilities 243,540,553 238,290,553 $5,250,000
Corporate bonds 125,893,691 125,893,691
Short-term investments 14,645,000 14,645,000
Total investments in securities $1,147,781,870 $1,001,993,179 $145,788,691
Derivatives:        
Liabilities        
Futures $(7,153,040) $(7,153,040)
Written options (5,334,155) (5,334,155)
Swap contracts (4,746,908) $(4,746,908)
Repurchase agreements. The fund may enter into repurchase agreements. When the fund enters into a repurchase agreement, it receives collateral that is held in a segregated account by the fund's custodian, or for tri-party repurchase agreements, collateral is held at a third-party custodian bank in a segregated account for the benefit of the fund. The collateral amount is marked-to-market and monitored on a daily basis to ensure that the collateral held is in an amount not less than the principal amount of the repurchase agreement plus any accrued interest. Collateral received by the fund for repurchase agreements is disclosed in the Fund's investments as part of the caption related to the repurchase agreement.
Repurchase agreements are typically governed by the terms and conditions of the Master Repurchase Agreement and/or Global Master Repurchase Agreement (collectively, MRA). Upon an event of default, the non-defaulting party may close out all transactions traded under the MRA and net amounts owed. Absent an event of default, assets and liabilities resulting from repurchase agreements are not offset in the Statement of assets and liabilities. In the event of a default by the counterparty, realization of the collateral proceeds could be delayed, during which time the collateral value may decline or the counterparty may have insufficient assets to pay claims resulting from close-out of the transactions.
Security transactions and related investment income. Investment security transactions are accounted for on a trade date plus one basis for daily NAV calculations. However, for financial reporting purposes, investment transactions are reported on trade date. Interest income is accrued as earned. Interest income includes coupon interest and amortization/accretion of premiums/discounts on debt securities. Debt obligations may be placed in a
19 JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund |SEMIANNUAL REPORT  

 

non-accrual status and related interest income may be reduced by stopping current accruals and writing off interest receivable when the collection of all or a portion of interest has become doubtful. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-date, except for dividends of certain foreign securities where the dividend may not be known until after the ex-date. In those cases, dividend income, net of withholding taxes, is recorded when the fund becomes aware of the dividends. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded at the fair market value of the securities received. Distributions received on securities that represent a tax return of capital and/or capital gain, if any, are recorded as a reduction of cost of investments and/or as a realized gain, if amounts are estimable. Gains and losses on securities sold are determined on the basis of identified cost and may include proceeds from litigation.
Real estate investment trusts. The fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs). Distributions from REITs may be recorded as income and subsequently characterized by the REIT at the end of the fiscal year as a reduction of cost of investments and/or as a realized gain. As a result, the fund will estimate the components of distributions from these securities. Such estimates are revised when the actual components of the distributions are known.
Foreign investing. Assets, including investments, and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollar values each day at the prevailing exchange rate. Purchases and sales of securities, income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rate on the date of the transaction. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on the value of securities is reflected as a component of the realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments. Foreign investments are subject to a decline in the value of a foreign currency versus the U.S. dollar, which reduces the dollar value of securities denominated in that currency.
Funds that invest internationally generally carry more risk than funds that invest strictly in U.S. securities. Risks can result from differences in economic and political conditions, regulations, market practices (including higher transaction costs), accounting standards and other factors.
Foreign taxes. The fund may be subject to withholding tax on income, capital gains or repatriation taxes imposed by certain countries, a portion of which may be recoverable. Foreign taxes are accrued based upon the fund's understanding of the tax rules and rates that exist in the foreign markets in which it invests. Taxes are accrued based on gains realized by the fund as a result of certain foreign security sales. In certain circumstances, estimated taxes are accrued based on unrealized appreciation of such securities. Investment income is recorded net of foreign withholding taxes.
Overdrafts. Pursuant to the custodian agreement, the fund’s custodian may, in its discretion, advance funds to the fund to make properly authorized payments. When such payments result in an overdraft, the fund is obligated to repay the custodian for any overdraft, including any costs or expenses associated with the overdraft. The custodian may have a lien, security interest or security entitlement in any fund property that is not otherwise segregated or pledged, to the maximum extent permitted by law, to the extent of any overdraft.
Expenses. Within the John Hancock group of funds complex, expenses that are directly attributable to an individual fund are allocated to such fund. Expenses that are not readily attributable to a specific fund are allocated among all funds in an equitable manner, taking into consideration, among other things, the nature and type of expense and the fund’s relative net assets. Expense estimates are accrued in the period to which they relate and adjustments are made when actual amounts are known.
Statement of cash flows. A Statement of cash flows is presented when a fund has a significant amount of borrowing during the period, based on the average total borrowing in relation to total assets, or when a certain percentage of the fund’s investments is classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. Information on financial transactions that have been settled through the receipt and disbursement of cash is presented in the Statement of cash flows. The cash amount shown in the Statement of cash flows is the amount included in the fund’s Statement of assets and liabilities and represents the cash on hand at the fund’s custodian and does not include any short-term investments or collateral on derivative contracts, if any.
  SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund 20

 

Change in accounting principle. Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2017-08, Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities, shortens the premium amortization period for purchased non contingently callable debt securities and is effective for public companies with fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. Adoption of the ASU did not have a material impact to the fund.
Federal income taxes. The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by complying with the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and will not be subject to federal income tax on taxable income that is distributed to shareholders. Therefore, no federal income tax provision is required.
As of October 31, 2019, the fund had no uncertain tax positions that would require financial statement recognition, derecognition or disclosure. The fund's federal tax returns are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service for a period of three years.
Managed distribution plan. The fund has adopted a managed distribution plan (Plan) on September 19, 2016. Under the current Plan, the fund makes monthly distributions of an amount equal to $0.1380 per share, which will be paid monthly until further notice.
Distributions under the Plan may consist of net investment income, net realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, return of capital. Return of capital distributions may be necessary when the fund’s net investment income and net capital gains are insufficient to meet the minimum distribution. In addition, the fund may also make additional distributions for the purpose of not incurring federal income and excise taxes.
The Board of Trustees may terminate or reduce the amount paid under the Plan at any time. The termination or reduction may have an adverse effect on the market price of the fund’s shares.
Distribution of income and gains. Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-date. The fund generally declares and pays dividends monthly under the managed distribution plan described above. Capital gain distributions, if any, are typically distributed annually.
Such distributions, on a tax basis, are determined in conformity with income tax regulations, which may differ from US GAAP. Distributions in excess of tax basis earnings and profits, if any, are reported in the fund's financial statements as a return of capital. The final determination of tax characteristics of the fund's distribution will occur at the end of the year and will subsequently be reported to shareholders.
Capital accounts within the financial statements are adjusted for permanent book-tax differences. These adjustments have no impact on net assets or the results of operations. Temporary book-tax differences, if any, will reverse in a subsequent period. Book-tax differences are primarily attributable to to wash sale loss deferrals and dividend redesignation.
Note 3Derivative instruments
The fund may invest in derivatives in order to meet its investment objective. Derivatives include a variety of different instruments that may be traded in the over-the-counter (OTC) market, on a regulated exchange or through a clearing facility. The risks in using derivatives vary depending upon the structure of the instruments, including the use of leverage, optionality, the liquidity or lack of liquidity of the contract, the creditworthiness of the counterparty or clearing organization and the volatility of the position. Some derivatives involve risks that are potentially greater than the risks associated with investing directly in the referenced securities or other referenced underlying instrument. Specifically, the fund is exposed to the risk that the counterparty to an OTC derivatives contract will be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations. OTC derivatives transactions typically can only be closed out with the other party to the transaction.
Certain derivatives are traded or cleared on an exchange or central clearinghouse. Exchange-traded or centrally-cleared transactions generally present less counterparty risk to a fund than OTC transactions. The exchange or clearinghouse stands between the fund and the broker to the contract and therefore, credit risk is generally limited to the failure of the exchange or clearinghouse and the clearing member.
21 JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund |SEMIANNUAL REPORT  

 

Centrally-cleared swap contracts are subject to clearinghouse rules, including initial and variation margin requirements, daily settlement of obligations and the clearinghouse guarantee of payments to the broker. There is, however, still counterparty risk due to the potential insolvency of the broker with respect to any margin held in the brokers’ customer accounts. While clearing members are required to segregate customer assets from their own assets, in the event of insolvency, there may be a shortfall in the amount of margin held by the broker for its clients. Collateral or margin requirements for centrally-cleared derivatives are set by the broker or applicable clearinghouse. Margin for centrally-cleared transactions is detailed in the Statement of assets and liabilities as Receivable/Payable for centrally-cleared swaps. Securities pledged by the fund for centrally-cleared transactions, if any, are identified in the Fund's investments.
Futures. A futures contract is a contractual agreement to buy or sell a particular currency or financial instrument at a pre-determined price in the future. Futures are traded on an exchange and cleared through a central clearinghouse. Risks related to the use of futures contracts include possible illiquidity of the futures markets and contract prices that can be highly volatile and imperfectly correlated to movements in the underlying financial instrument and potential losses in excess of the amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities. Use of long futures contracts subjects the fund to the risk of loss up to the notional value of the futures contracts. Use of short futures contracts subjects the fund to unlimited risk of loss.
Upon entering into a futures contract, the fund is required to deposit initial margin with the broker in the form of cash or securities. The amount of required margin is set by the broker and is generally based on a percentage of the contract value. The margin deposit must then be maintained at the established level over the life of the contract. Cash that has been pledged by the fund is detailed in the Statement of assets and liabilities as Collateral held at broker for futures contracts. Securities pledged by the fund, if any, are identified in the Fund's investments. Subsequent payments, referred to as variation margin, are made or received by the fund periodically and are based on changes in the market value of open futures contracts. Futures contracts are marked-to-market daily and unrealized gain or loss is recorded by the fund. When the contract is closed, the fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed.
During the six months ended April 30, 2020, the fund used futures contracts to manage against anticipated interest rate changes. The fund held futures contracts with USD notional values ranging from $127.7 million to $136.3 million, as measured at each quarter end.
Options. There are two types of options, put options and call options. Options are traded either OTC or on an exchange. A call option gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy (and the seller the obligation to sell) the underlying instrument at the exercise price. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell (and the writer the obligation to buy) the underlying instrument at the exercise price. Writing puts and buying calls may increase the fund's exposure to changes in the value of the underlying instrument. Buying puts and writing calls may decrease the fund's exposure to such changes. Risks related to the use of options include the loss of premiums, possible illiquidity of the options markets, trading restrictions imposed by an exchange and movements in underlying security values, and for written options, potential losses in excess of the amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities. In addition, OTC options are subject to the risks of all OTC derivatives contracts.
When the fund purchases an option, the premium paid is included in the Fund's investments and subsequently “marked-to-market” to reflect current market value. If the purchased option expires, the fund realizes a loss equal to the cost of the option. If the fund exercises a call option, the cost of the securities acquired by exercising the call is increased by the premium paid to buy the call. If the fund exercises a put option, it realizes a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying security and the proceeds from such sale are decreased by the premium paid. If the fund enters into a closing sale transaction, it realizes a gain or loss, depending on whether proceeds from the closing sale are greater or less than the original cost. When the fund writes an option, the premium received is included as a liability and subsequently “marked-to-market” to reflect the current market value of the option written. Premiums received from writing options that expire unexercised are recorded as realized gains. Premiums received from writing options which are exercised or are closed are added to or offset against the proceeds or
  SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund 22

 

amount paid on the transaction to determine the realized gain or loss. If a put option on a security is exercised, the premium received reduces the cost basis of the securities purchased by the fund.
During the six months ended April 30, 2020, the fund wrote option contracts to hedge against changes in securities markets and to generate potential income. The fund held written option contracts with market values ranging from $340,000 to $5.3 million, as measured at each quarter end.
Swaps. Swap agreements are agreements between the fund and a counterparty to exchange cash flows, assets, foreign currencies or market-linked returns at specified intervals. Swap agreements are privately negotiated in the OTC market (OTC swaps) or may be executed on a registered commodities exchange (centrally cleared swaps). Swaps are marked-to-market daily and the change in value is recorded as a component of unrealized appreciation/depreciation of swap contracts. The value of the swap will typically impose collateral posting obligations on the party that is considered out-of-the-money on the swap.
Upfront payments made/received by the fund, if any, are amortized/accreted for financial reporting purposes, with the unamortized/unaccreted portion included in the Statement of assets and liabilities. A termination payment by the counterparty or the fund is recorded as realized gain or loss, as well as the net periodic payments received or paid by the fund.
Entering into swap agreements involves, to varying degrees, elements of credit, market and documentation risk that may provide outcomes that are in excess of the amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities. Such risks involve the possibility that there will be no liquid market for the swap, or that a counterparty may default on its obligation or delay payment under the swap terms. The counterparty may disagree or contest the terms of the swap. In addition to interest rate risk, market risks may also impact the swap. The fund may also suffer losses if it is unable to terminate or assign outstanding swaps or reduce its exposure through offsetting transactions.
Interest rate swaps. Interest rate swaps represent an agreement between the fund and a counterparty to exchange cash flows based on the difference between two interest rates applied to a notional amount. The payment flows are usually netted against each other, with the difference being paid by one party to the other. The fund settles accrued net interest receivable or payable under the swap contracts at specified, future intervals.
During the six months ended April 30, 2020, the fund used interest rate swap contracts to manage against anticipated interest rate changes. The notional values at the period end are representative of the fund's exposure throughout the period. The notional values at the period end are representative of the fund's exposure throughout the period. No new interest rate swap positions were entered into or closed during the six months ended April 30, 2020.
Fair value of derivative instruments by risk category
The table below summarizes the fair value of derivatives held by the fund at April 30, 2020 by risk category:
Risk Statement of assets
and liabilities
location
Financial
instruments
location
Assets
derivatives
fair value
Liabilities
derivatives
fair value
Interest rate Receivable/payable for futures variation margin Futures 1 $(7,153,040)
Equity Written options, at value Written options (5,334,155)
Interest rate Swap contracts, at value Interest rate swaps2 (4,746,908)
      $(17,234,103)
23 JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund |SEMIANNUAL REPORT  

 

1 Reflects cumulative appreciation/depreciation on futures as disclosed in Fund's investments. Only the period end variation margin is separately disclosed on the Statement of assets and liabilities.
2 Reflects cumulative value of swap contracts. Receivable/payable for centrally cleared swaps, which includes value and margin, are shown separately on the Statement of assets and liabilities.
Effect of derivative instruments on the Statement of operations
The table below summarizes the net realized gain (loss) included in the net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations, classified by derivative instrument and risk category, for the six months ended April 30, 2020:
  Statement of operations location - Net realized gain (loss) on:
Risk Futures contracts Written options Swap contracts Total
Interest rate $(364,883) $(127,026) $(491,909)
Equity $(14,637,458) (14,637,458)
Total $(364,883) $(14,637,458) $(127,026) $(15,129,367)
The table below summarizes the net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) included in the net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations, classified by derivative instrument and risk category, for the six months ended April 30, 2020:
  Statement of operations location - Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:
Risk Futures contracts Written options Swap contracts Total
Interest rate $(8,268,775) $(2,775,983) $(11,044,758)
Equity $(556,521) (556,521)
Total $(8,268,775) $(556,521) $(2,775,983) $(11,601,279)
Note 4Guarantees and indemnifications
Under the fund's organizational documents, its Officers and Trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the fund. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the fund enters into contracts with service providers that contain general indemnification clauses. The fund's maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the fund that have not yet occurred. The risk of material loss from such claims is considered remote.
Note 5Fees and transactions with affiliates
John Hancock Investment Management LLC (the Advisor) serves as investment advisor for the fund. The Advisor is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation (MFC).
Management fee. The fund has an investment management agreement with the Advisor under which the fund pays a daily management fee to the Advisor equivalent on an annual basis to 0.75% of the fund’s average daily managed assets (net assets plus borrowings under the Liquidity Agreement) (see Note 8). The Advisor has a subadvisory agreement with Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC, an indirectly owned subsidiary of MFC and an affiliate of the Advisor, and a subadvisory agreement with Wells Capital Management (formerly known as Analytic Investors, LLC). The fund is not responsible for payment of the subadvisory fees.
The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for certain funds of the John Hancock group of funds complex, including the fund (the participating portfolios). This waiver is based upon aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios. The amount of the reimbursement is calculated daily and allocated among all the participating portfolios in proportion to the daily net assets of each
  SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund 24

 

fund. During the six months ended April 30, 2020, this waiver amounted to 0.01% of the fund’s average daily net assets on an annualized basis. This arrangement expires on July 31, 2021, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the Advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.
The expense reductions described above amounted to $46,670 for the six months ended April 30, 2020.
Expenses waived or reimbursed in the current fiscal period are not subject to recapture in future fiscal periods.
The investment management fees, including the impact of the waivers and reimbursements as described above, incurred for the six months ended April 30, 2020, were equivalent to a net annual effective rate of 0.74% of the fund's average daily managed net assets.
Accounting and legal services. Pursuant to a service agreement, the fund reimburses the Advisor for all expenses associated with providing the administrative, financial, legal, compliance, accounting and recordkeeping services to the fund, including the preparation of all tax returns, periodic reports to shareholders and regulatory reports, among other services. These accounting and legal services fees incurred for the six months ended April 30, 2020 amounted to an annual rate of 0.01% of the fund's average daily managed net assets.
Trustee expenses. The fund compensates each Trustee who is not an employee of the Advisor or its affiliates. These Trustees receive from the fund and the other John Hancock closed-end funds an annual retainer. In addition, Trustee out-of-pocket expenses are allocated to each fund based on its net assets relative to other funds within the John Hancock group of funds complex.
Note 6Fund share transactions
In December 2007, the Board of Trustees approved a share repurchase plan, which is subsequently reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees each year in December. Under the current share repurchase plan, the fund may purchase in the open market, up to 10% of its outstanding common shares as of December 31, 2019. The current share repurchase plan will remain in effect between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.
During the six months ended April 30, 2020 and the year ended October 31, 2019, the fund had no activities under the repurchase program. Shares repurchased and corresponding dollar amounts, if any, are included on the Statements of changes in net assets. The anti-dilutive impacts of these share repurchases are included on the Financial highlights.
Note 7Leverage risk
The fund utilizes a Liquidity Agreement (LA) to increase its assets available for investment. When the fund leverages its assets, shareholders bear the expenses associated with the LA and have potential to benefit or be disadvantaged from the use of leverage. The Advisor’s fee is also increased in dollar terms from the use of leverage. Consequently, the fund and the Advisor may have differing interests in determining whether to leverage the fund’s assets. Leverage creates risks that may adversely affect the return for the holders of shares, including:
the likelihood of greater volatility of NAV and market price of shares;
fluctuations in the interest rate paid for the use of the LA;
increased operating costs, which may reduce the fund’s total return;
the potential for a decline in the value of an investment acquired through leverage, while the fund’s obligations under such leverage remains fixed; and
the fund is more likely to have to sell securities in a volatile market in order to meet asset coverage or other debt compliance requirements.
To the extent the income or capital appreciation derived from securities purchased with funds received from leverage exceeds the cost of leverage, the fund’s return will be greater than if leverage had not been used; conversely, returns would be lower if the cost of the leverage exceeds the income or capital appreciation derived. The use of securities lending to obtain leverage in the fund’s investments may subject the fund to greater risk of
25 JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund |SEMIANNUAL REPORT  

 

loss than would reinvestment of collateral in short term highly rated investments.
In addition to the risks created by the fund’s use of leverage, the fund is subject to the risk that it would be unable to timely, or at all, obtain replacement financing if the LA is terminated. Were this to happen, the fund would be required to de-leverage, selling securities at a potentially inopportune time and incurring tax consequences. Further, the fund’s ability to generate income from the use of leverage would be adversely affected.
Note 8Liquidity Agreement
The fund has entered into a Liquidity Agreement (LA) with State Street Bank and Trust Company (SSB) that allows it to borrow or otherwise access up to $427.9 million (maximum facility amount) through a line of credit, securities lending and reverse repurchase agreements. The amounts outstanding at April 30, 2020 are shown in the Statement of assets and liabilities as the Liquidity agreement.
The fund pledges its assets as collateral to secure obligations under the LA. The fund retains the risks and rewards of the ownership of assets pledged to secure obligations under the LA and makes these assets available for securities lending and reverse repurchase transactions with SSB acting as the fund’s authorized agent for these transactions. All transactions initiated through SSB are required to be secured with cash collateral received from the securities borrower (the Borrower) or cash is received from the reverse repurchase agreement (Reverse Repo) counterparties. Securities lending transactions will be secured with cash collateral in amounts at least equal to 100% of the market value of the securities utilized in these transactions. Cash received by SSB from securities lending or Reverse Repo transactions is credited against the amounts borrowed under the line of credit.
Upon return of securities by the Borrower or Reverse Repo counterparty, SSB will return the cash collateral to the Borrower or proceeds from the Reverse Repo, as applicable, which will eliminate the credit against the line of credit and will cause the drawdowns under the line of credit to increase by the amounts returned. Income earned on the loaned securities is retained by SSB, and any interest due on the reverse repurchase agreements is paid by SSB.
SSB has indemnified the fund for certain losses that may arise if the Borrower or a Reverse Repo Counterparty fails to return securities when due. With respect to securities lending transactions, upon a default of the securities borrower, SSB uses the collateral received from the Borrower to purchase replacement securities of the same issue, type, class and series. If the value of the collateral is less than the purchase cost of replacement securities, SSB is responsible for satisfying the shortfall but only to the extent that the shortfall is not due to any of the fund’s losses on the reinvested cash collateral. Although the risk of the loss of the securities is mitigated by receiving collateral from the Borrower or proceeds from the Reverse Repo counterparty and through SSB indemnification, the fund could experience a delay in recovering securities or could experience a lower than expected return if the Borrower or Reverse Repo counterparty fails to return the securities on a timely basis.
Under normal circumstances, interest charged is at the rate of one month LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) plus 0.625% and is payable monthly on the aggregate balance of the drawdowns outstanding under the LA. As of April 30, 2020, the fund had an aggregate balance of $418,900,000 at an interest rate of 0.95%, which is reflected in the Liquidity agreement on the Statement of assets and liabilities. During the six months ended April 30, 2020, the average balance of the LA and the effective average interest rate were $426,070,330 and 2.06%, respectively.
The fund may terminate the LA with 60 days’ notice. If certain asset coverage and collateral requirements, or other covenants are not met, the LA could be deemed in default and result in termination. Absent a default or facility termination event, SSB is required to provide the fund with 360 days’ notice prior to terminating the LA.
Due to the anticipated discontinuation of LIBOR, as discussed in Note 9, the LA may be amended to remove LIBOR as the reference rate for interest and to replace LIBOR with an alternative reference rate for interest mutually
  SEMIANNUAL REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund 26

 

agreed upon by the fund and SSB. However, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rate and the potential effect of a transition away from LIBOR on the fund and/or the LA cannot yet be fully determined.
Note 9LIBOR Discontinuation Risk
The LA utilizes LIBOR as the reference or benchmark rate for interest rate calculations. LIBOR is a measure of the average interest rate at which major global banks can borrow from one another. Following allegations of rate manipulation and concerns regarding its thin liquidity, in July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it will stop encouraging banks to provide the quotations needed to sustain LIBOR after 2021. This event will likely cause LIBOR to cease to be published. Before then, it is expected that market participants such as the fund and SSB will transition to the use of different reference or benchmark rates. However, although regulators have suggested alternative rates, there is currently no definitive information regarding the future utilization of LIBOR or of any replacement rate.
It is uncertain what impact the discontinuation of LIBOR will have on the use of LIBOR as a reference rate in the LA. It is expected that market participants will amend financial instruments referencing LIBOR, such as the LA, to include fallback provisions and other measures that contemplate the discontinuation of LIBOR or other similar market disruption events, but neither the effect of the transition process nor the viability of such measures is known. In addition, there are obstacles to converting certain longer term securities and transactions to a new benchmark or benchmarks and the effectiveness of one alternative reference rate versus multiple alternative reference rates in new or existing financial instruments and products has not been determined. As market participants transition away from LIBOR, LIBOR's usefulness may deteriorate, which could occur prior to the end of 2021. The transition process may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that currently rely on LIBOR to determine interest rates. LIBOR's deterioration may adversely affect the liquidity and/or market value of securities that use LIBOR as a benchmark interest rate. The use of an alternative reference rate, or the transition process to an alternative reference rate, may result in increases to the interest paid by the fund pursuant to the LA and, therefore, may adversely affect the fund's performance.
Note 10Purchase and sale of securities
Purchases and sales of securities, other than short-term investments, amounted to $91,869,056 and $137,980,461, respectively, for the six months ended April 30, 2020.
Note 11Industry or sector risk
The fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in one or more particular industries or sectors of the economy. If a large percentage of the fund’s assets are economically tied to a single or small number of industries or sectors of the economy, the fund will be less diversified than a more broadly diversified fund, and it may cause the fund to underperform if that industry or sector underperforms. In addition, focusing on a particular industry or sector may make the fund’s NAV more volatile. Further, a fund that invests in particular industries or sectors is particularly susceptible to the impact of market, economic, regulatory and other factors affecting those industries or sectors.
Note 12Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
The novel COVID-19 disease has resulted in significant disruptions to global business activity. A widespread health crisis such as a global pandemic could cause substantial market volatility, exchange trading suspensions and closures, impact the ability to complete redemptions, and affect fund performance.
27 JOHN HANCOCK Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund |SEMIANNUAL REPORT  

Additional information (Unaudited)

Investment objective and policy

The fund is a closed-end, diversified management investment company, common shares of which were initially offered to the public on February 25, 2004, and are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE). The fund's investment objective is to provide a high level of after-tax total return from dividend income and gains and capital appreciation. The fund utilizes a liquidity agreement to increase its assets available for investments.

Under normal market conditions, the fund will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in dividend-paying common and preferred securities that the subadvisors believe at the time of acquisition are eligible to pay dividends which, for individual shareholders, qualify for U.S. federal income taxation at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, which are currently taxed to noncorporate taxpayers at a maximum rate of 20% (15% or 0% for individuals in certain tax brackets) (tax-advantaged dividends). The fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days prior to any change in this 80% investment policy. Tax-advantaged dividends generally include dividends from domestic corporations and dividends from foreign corporations that meet certain specified criteria. The fund generally can pass the tax treatment of tax-advantaged dividends it receives through to its common shareholders. The fund may write (sell) covered call index options on up to 30% of the value of the fund's total assets.

Dividends and distributions

During the six months ended April 30, 2020, distributions from net investment income totaling $0.8280 per share were paid to shareholders. The dates of payments and the amounts per share were as follows:



           
  Payment Date     Income Distributions  
  November 29, 2019     $0.1380  
  December 19, 2019     0.1380  
  January 31, 2020     0.1380  
  February 28, 2020     0.1380  
  March 31, 2020     0.1380  
  April 30, 2020     0.1380  
  Total     $0.8280  

SEMIANNUAL REPORT   |   JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND       28


Shareholder meeting


The fund held its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Monday, February 3, 2020. The following proposal was considered by the shareholders:

Proposal: To elect five (5) Trustees (James R. Boyle, William H. Cunningham, Grace K. Fey, Hassell H. McClellan and Gregory A. Russo) to serve for a three-year term ending at the 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

     
  Total votes
for the nominee
Total votes withheld
from the nominee
Independent Trustees    
James R. Boyle 28,206,850.000 451,353.002
William H. Cunningham 28,163,585.000 494,618.002
Grace K. Fey 28,121,255.000 536,948.000
Hassell H. McClellan 28,115,683.000 542,520.002
Gregory A. Russo 28,122,411.000 535,792.000

Trustees whose term of office continued after the Annual Meeting of Shareholders because they were not up for election are: Charles L. Bardelis, Peter S. Burgess, Marianne Harrison, Andrew G. Arnott, Deborah C. Jackson, James M. Oates and Steven R. Pruchansky.

SEMIANNUAL REPORT   |   JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND       29


More information

   

Trustees

Hassell H. McClellan, Chairperson
Steven R. Pruchansky, Vice Chairperson
Andrew G. Arnott
Charles L. Bardelis*
James R. Boyle
Peter S. Burgess*
William H. Cunningham
Grace K. Fey
Marianne Harrison
Deborah C. Jackson
James M. Oates*
Gregory A. Russo

Officers

Andrew G. Arnott
President

Francis V. Knox, Jr.
Chief Compliance Officer

Charles A. Rizzo
Chief Financial Officer

Salvatore Schiavone
Treasurer

Christopher (Kit) Sechler
Secretary and Chief Legal Officer

Investment advisor

John Hancock Investment Management LLC

Subadvisors

Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC (Manulife IM (US))
Wells Capital Management Incorporated (WellsCap)

Portfolio Managers

The Investment Team at Manulife IM (US) and WellsCap

Custodian

State Street Bank and Trust Company

Transfer agent

Computershare Shareowner Services, LLC

Legal counsel

K&L Gates LLP

Stock symbol

Listed New York Stock Exchange: HTD

* Member of the Audit Committee
† Non-Independent Trustee

The fund's proxy voting policies and procedures, as well as the fund's proxy voting record for the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30, are available free of charge on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website at sec.gov or on our website.

All of the fund's holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter are filed with the SEC on Form N-PORT within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter. The fund's Form N-PORT filings are available on our website and the SEC's website, sec.gov.

We make this information on your fund, as well as monthly portfolio holdings, and other fund details available on our website at jhinvestments.com or by calling 800-852-0218.



The report is certified under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires closed-end funds and other public companies to affirm that, to the best of their knowledge, the information in their financial reports is fairly and accurately stated in all material respects.

       
  You can also contact us:
  800-852-0218
jhinvestments.com

Regular mail:

Computershare
P.O. Box 505000
Louisville, KY 40233

Express mail:

Computershare
462 South 4th Street, Suite 1600
Louisville, KY 40202

SEMIANNUAL REPORT   |   JOHN HANCOCK TAX-ADVANTAGED DIVIDEND INCOME FUND       30


John Hancock family of funds

 

     

DOMESTIC EQUITY FUNDS



Blue Chip Growth

Classic Value

Disciplined Value

Disciplined Value Mid Cap

Equity Income

Financial Industries

Fundamental All Cap Core

Fundamental Large Cap Core

New Opportunities

Regional Bank

Small Cap Core

Small Cap Growth

Small Cap Value

U.S. Global Leaders Growth

U.S. Quality Growth

GLOBAL AND INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUNDS



Disciplined Value International

Emerging Markets

Emerging Markets Equity

Fundamental Global Franchise

Global Equity

Global Shareholder Yield

Global Thematic Opportunities

International Dynamic Growth

International Growth

International Small Company

 

INCOME FUNDS



Bond

California Tax-Free Income

Emerging Markets Debt

Floating Rate Income

Government Income

High Yield

High Yield Municipal Bond

Income

Investment Grade Bond

Money Market

Short Duration Bond

Short Duration Credit Opportunities

Strategic Income Opportunities

Tax-Free Bond

ALTERNATIVE AND SPECIALTY FUNDS



Absolute Return Currency

Alternative Asset Allocation

Alternative Risk Premia

Diversified Macro

Infrastructure

Multi-Asset Absolute Return

Seaport Long/Short

The fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses are included in the prospectus and should be considered carefully before investing. For a prospectus, contact your financial professional, call John Hancock Investment Management at 800-852-0218, or visit the fund's website at jhinvestments.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money.

The John Hancock funds are distributed by John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC. Member FINRA SIPC.


     

ASSET ALLOCATION



Balanced

Multi-Asset High Income

Multi-Index Lifetime Portfolios

Multi-Index Preservation Portfolios

Multimanager Lifestyle Portfolios

Multimanager Lifetime Portfolios

Retirement Income 2040

EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS



John Hancock Multifactor Consumer Discretionary ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Consumer Staples ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Developed International ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Energy ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Financials ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Healthcare ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Industrials ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Materials ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Media and
Communications ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Technology ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Utilities ETF

 

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND
GOVERNANCE FUNDS



ESG All Cap Core

ESG Core Bond

ESG International Equity

ESG Large Cap Core

CLOSED-END FUNDS



Financial Opportunities

Hedged Equity & Income

Income Securities Trust

Investors Trust

Preferred Income

Preferred Income II

Preferred Income III

Premium Dividend

Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income

Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield

John Hancock Multifactor ETF shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV), and are not individually redeemed
from the fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.

John Hancock ETFs are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC, and are subadvised by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP.
Foreside is not affiliated with John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC or Dimensional Fund Advisors LP.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP receives compensation from John Hancock in connection with licensing rights to the
John Hancock Dimensional indexes. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP does not sponsor, endorse, or sell, and makes no
representation as to the advisability of investing in, John Hancock Multifactor ETFs.


John Hancock Investment Management

A trusted brand

John Hancock Investment Management is a premier asset manager
representing one of America's most trusted brands, with a heritage of
financial stewardship dating back to 1862. Helping our shareholders
pursue their financial goals is at the core of everything we do. It's why
we support the role of professional financial advice and operate with
the highest standards of conduct and integrity.

A better way to invest

We serve investors globally through a unique multimanager approach:
We search the world to find proven portfolio teams with specialized
expertise for every strategy we offer, then we apply robust investment
oversight to ensure they continue to meet our uncompromising
standards and serve the best interests of our shareholders.

Results for investors

Our unique approach to asset management enables us to provide
a diverse set of investments backed by some of the world's best
managers, along with strong risk-adjusted returns across asset classes.

jhdigest_backcover-logo.jpg

John Hancock Investment Management LLC
200 Berkeley Street n Boston, MA 02116-5010 n 800-225-5291 n jhinvestments.com

   
MF1182638 P13SA 4/20
6/2020


ITEM 2. CODE OF ETHICS.

Not applicable.

ITEM 3. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT.

Not applicable at this time.

ITEM 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

Not applicable at this time.

ITEM 5. AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS.

Not applicable at this time.

ITEM 6. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS.

(a) Not applicable.
(b) Not applicable.

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.

(a) 

Not applicable.

(b)
   
Total number of Maximum number of
Total number of shares purchased shares that may yet
shares Average price as part of publicly be purchased under
Period purchased per share announced plans* the plans
Nov-19 - - - 3,540,082
Dec-19 - - - 3,540,082
Jan-20 - - - 3,540,082*
Feb-20 - - - 3,540,082
Mar-20 - - - 3,540,082
Apr-20 - - - 3,540,082
Total - -
 
 

*In December 2007, the Board of Trustees approved a share repurchase plan, which has been subsequently reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees. Under the current share repurchase plan, the Fund may purchase in the open market up to 10% of its outstanding common shares as of December 31, 2019. The current share plan will remain in effect between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.



ITEM 10. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

The registrant has adopted procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s Board of Trustees. A copy of the procedures is filed as an exhibit to this Form N-CSR. See attached “John Hancock Funds – Nominating, Governance and Administration Committee Charter.”

ITEM 11. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

(a) Based upon their evaluation of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures as conducted within 90 days of the filing date of this Form N-CSR, the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that those disclosure controls and procedures provide reasonable assurance that the material information required to be disclosed by the registrant on this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms.

(b) There were no changes in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that have materially 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.

The Fund did not participate directly in securities lending activities. See Note 8 to financial statements in Item 1.

ITEM 13. EXHIBITS.

(a) Separate certifications for the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached.

(b)(1) Separate certifications for the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached. The certifications furnished pursuant to this paragraph are not deemed to be "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Such certifications are not deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that the Registrant specifically incorporates them by reference.

(c)(1) Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders is attached. See attached “John Hancock Funds – Nominating, Governance and Administration Committee Charter.”

(c)(2) Registrant’s notice to shareholders pursuant to Registrant’s exemptive order granting an exemption from Section 19(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended and Rule 19b-1 thereunder regarding distributions made pursuant to the Registrant’s Managed Distribution Plan.


SIGNATURES

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.

John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund

By:     /s/ Andrew Arnott
Andrew Arnott
President
 
Date:   June 25, 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/ Andrew Arnott
Andrew Arnott
President
 
Date:   June 25, 2020
   
By:     /s/ Charles A. Rizzo
Charles A. Rizzo
Chief Financial Officer
 
Date:   June 25, 2020