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

 

FORM N-Q

 

QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY

 

Investment Company Act file number:   811-21980
     
Exact name of registrant as specified in charter:   Aberdeen Total Dynamic Dividend Fund
     
Address of principal executive offices:   1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor
    Philadelphia, PA 19103
     
Name and address of agent for service:   Ms. Andrea Melia
    Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.
    1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor
    Philadelphia, PA 19103
     
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:   800-522-5465
     
Date of fiscal year end:   October 31
     
Date of reporting period:   July 31, 2018
 

Item 1. Schedule of Investments - The schedule of investments for the three-month period ended July 31, 2018 is filed herewith.

 

Portfolio of Investments (unaudited)

 

As of July 31, 2018

 

   Shares    Value  
LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS (98.5%)          
           
COMMON STOCKS (96.4%)          
           
BRAZIL (1.4%)          
           
Industrials (1.4%)          
           
CCR SA   1,630,000   $4,573,016 
Rumo SA(a)   2,541,004    10,053,529 
         14,626,545 
CANADA (2.3%)          
           
Energy (1.1%)          
           
Enbridge, Inc.   339,000    12,010,770 
           
Industrials (1.2%)          
           
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.   63,500    12,594,590 
         24,605,360 
CHINA (1.8%)          
           
Financials (0.8%)          
           
China Construction Bank Corp., Class H(b)   9,000,000    8,228,544 
           
Industrials (1.0%)          
           
China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd., Class H(b)   5,467,500    6,604,677 
CRRC Corp. Ltd., Class H(b)   5,209,950    4,581,503 
         11,186,180 
         19,414,724 
CURACAO (1.0%)          
           
Energy (1.0%)          
           
Schlumberger Ltd.   162,100    10,944,992 
FINLAND (2.5%)          
           
Information Technology (0.8%)          
           
Nokia OYJ(b)   1,575,000    8,548,556 
           
Materials (1.7%)          
           
Stora Enso OYJ, R Shares(b)   635,500    10,487,284 
UPM-Kymmene OYJ(b)   232,600    8,250,935 
         18,738,219 
         27,286,775 
FRANCE (3.6%)          
           
Energy (1.0%)          
           
TOTAL SA, ADR   175,000    11,418,750 
           
Industrials (1.6%)          
           
Alstom SA(b)   146,000    6,545,464 

 

See Notes to Portfolio of Investments.

 

Portfolio of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

 

As of July 31, 2018

 

Bouygues SA(b)   246,900   $10,842,471 
         17,387,935 
           
Utilities (1.0%)          
           
Veolia Environnement SA(b)   468,100    10,681,463 
         39,488,148 
GERMANY (3.7%)          
           
Financials (1.9%)          
           
Allianz SE(b)   47,500    10,509,586 
Deutsche Boerse AG(b)   79,500    10,477,019 
         20,986,605 
           
Health Care (1.0%)          
           
Bayer AG(b)   98,600    10,976,853 
           
Materials (0.8%)          
           
Symrise AG(b)   90,200    8,153,068 
         40,116,526 
ITALY (1.5%)          
           
Financials (1.5%)          
           
Intesa Sanpaolo SpA(b)   3,036,600    9,306,073 
Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario SpA(b)   708,800    7,339,375 
         16,645,448 
JAPAN (3.0%)          
           
Financials (1.0%)          
           
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.(b)   1,722,400    10,570,137 
           
Industrials (0.8%)          
           
Japan Airlines Co. Ltd.(b)   249,500    9,210,154 
           
Real Estate (1.2%)          
           
Mitsui Fudosan Co. Ltd., REIT(b)   357,000    8,536,483 
Nippon Building Fund, Inc., REIT(b)   780    4,342,611 
         12,879,094 
         32,659,385 
JERSEY (3.3%)          
           
Consumer Discretionary (1.1%)          
           
Aptiv PLC   122,200    11,984,154 
           
Health Care (1.2%)          
           
Shire PLC, ADR   75,500    12,881,055 
           
Materials (1.0%)          
           
Randgold Resources Ltd., ADR   146,800    10,841,180 
         35,706,389 
NETHERLANDS (1.9%)          
           
Consumer Staples (0.8%)          
           
Unilever NV, CVA(b)   151,000    8,711,334 

 

See Notes to Portfolio of Investments.

 

Portfolio of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

 

As of July 31, 2018

 

Materials (1.1%)          
           
ArcelorMittal   372,900   $11,876,865 
         20,588,199 
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (2.0%)          
           
Health Care (2.0%)          
           
Allergan PLC   62,100    11,431,989 
Medtronic PLC   118,900    10,728,347 
         22,160,336 
SOUTH KOREA (2.2%)          
           
Information Technology (1.2%)          
           
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.(b)   157,500    6,537,861 
SK Hynix, Inc.(b)   79,900    6,175,500 
         12,713,361 
           
Materials (1.0%)          
           
LG Chem Ltd.(b)   33,500    11,266,832 
         23,980,193 
SPAIN (3.4%)          
           
Financials (0.9%)          
           
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA(b)   1,334,800    9,778,279 
           
Industrials (1.2%)          
           
Ferrovial SA(b)   643,285    13,278,037 
           
Telecommunication Services (1.3%)          
           
Cellnex Telecom SA(a)(b)(c)   523,600    13,914,310 
         36,970,626 
SWEDEN (2.2%)          
           
Consumer Staples (1.1%)          
           
Essity AB, Class B(b)   490,000    12,257,104 
           
Financials (0.6%)          
           
Swedbank AB, A Shares(b)   288,800    6,829,341 
           
Industrials (0.5%)          
           
SKF AB, B Shares(b)   254,000    5,214,713 
         24,301,158 
SWITZERLAND (4.7%)          
           
Consumer Staples (1.2%)          
           
Nestle SA(b)   165,000    13,446,402 
           
Financials (1.1%)          
           
UBS Group AG(a)(b)   704,800    11,584,401 
           
Health Care (1.4%)          
           
Novartis AG, ADR   179,100    15,026,490 

 

See Notes to Portfolio of Investments.

 

Portfolio of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

 

As of July 31, 2018

 

Information Technology (1.0%)          
           
TE Connectivity Ltd.   113,000   $10,573,410 
         50,630,703 
UNITED KINGDOM (5.2%)          
           
Consumer Staples (0.6%)          
           
Nomad Foods Ltd.(a)   352,000    6,688,000 
           
Energy (1.2%)          
           
BP PLC, ADR   274,100    12,359,169 
           
Industrials (0.9%)          
           
Melrose Industries PLC(b)   3,577,486    10,123,036 
           
Telecommunication Services (2.5%)          
           
BT Group PLC(b)   2,562,737    7,839,625 
BT Group PLC, ADR   208,877    3,208,351 
Vodafone Group PLC(b)   6,432,700    15,714,832 
         26,762,808 
         55,933,013 
UNITED STATES (50.7%)          
           
Consumer Discretionary (9.1%)          
           
Altice USA, Inc., Class A   411,300    7,045,569 
Carter’s, Inc.   73,100    7,663,073 
Comcast Corp., Class A   275,000    9,839,500 
Dollar General Corp.   100,900    9,903,335 
Lennar Corp., Class A   213,800    11,175,326 
Lowe’s Cos., Inc.   115,300    11,453,902 
MGM Resorts International   214,100    6,716,317 
Newell Brands, Inc.   200,000    5,238,000 
Target Corp.   86,500    6,978,820 
TJX Cos., Inc. (The)   138,500    13,470,510 
Whirlpool Corp.   67,700    8,875,470 
         98,359,822 
           
Consumer Staples (1.6%)          
           
Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc.   288,500    6,926,885 
Kraft Heinz Co. (The)   167,200    10,073,800 
         17,000,685 
           
Energy (2.8%)          
           
Andeavor   40,100    6,017,406 
EOG Resources, Inc.   55,300    7,130,382 
Helmerich & Payne, Inc.   86,800    5,325,180 
Kinder Morgan, Inc.   642,500    11,423,650 
         29,896,618 
           
Financials (9.7%)          
           
American International Group, Inc.   193,600    10,688,656 
Ares Capital Corp.   651,900    10,984,515 
Bank of America Corp.   395,200    12,203,776 
Blackstone Group LP (The)   249,000    8,695,080 
Citigroup, Inc.   153,600    11,042,304 

 

See Notes to Portfolio of Investments.

 

Portfolio of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

 

As of July 31, 2018

 

Citizens Financial Group, Inc.   271,500   $10,800,270 
Discover Financial Services   150,200    10,725,782 
Evercore, Inc., Class A   94,800    10,712,400 
PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (The)   76,100    11,021,563 
Wells Fargo & Co.   153,700    8,805,473 
         105,679,819 
           
Health Care (5.3%)          
           
Aetna, Inc.   68,100    12,829,359 
Pfizer, Inc.   217,600    8,688,768 
Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.   55,100    12,922,603 
UnitedHealth Group, Inc.   49,300    12,483,746 
Universal Health Services, Inc., Class B   91,300    11,147,730 
         58,072,206 
           
Industrials (5.7%)          
           
Delta Air Lines, Inc.   287,900    15,667,518 
FedEx Corp.   60,100    14,776,787 
Norfolk Southern Corp.   76,500    12,928,500 
Raytheon Co.   29,100    5,762,673 
Snap-on, Inc.   77,900    13,211,061 
         62,346,539 
           
Information Technology (10.2%)          
           
Alphabet, Inc., Class C(a)   9,000    10,955,340 
Apple, Inc.   114,500    21,788,205 
Applied Materials, Inc.   198,200    9,638,466 
Broadcom, Inc.   62,500    13,860,625 
Cisco Systems, Inc.   245,300    10,373,737 
Intel Corp.   331,000    15,921,100 
Leidos Holdings, Inc.   203,000    13,889,260 
Microsoft Corp.   94,000    9,971,520 
Western Digital Corp.   64,500    4,524,675 
         110,922,928 
           
Real Estate (2.9%)          
           
American Tower Corp., REIT   68,000    10,080,320 
CyrusOne, Inc., REIT   79,500    4,922,640 
Digital Realty Trust, Inc., REIT   48,000    5,828,160 
GEO Group, Inc. (The), REIT   428,000    11,076,640 
         31,907,760 
           
Utilities (3.4%)          
           
CMS Energy Corp.   146,500    7,081,810 
FirstEnergy Corp.   172,100    6,097,503 
NextEra Energy, Inc.   83,000    13,905,820 
NRG Yield, Inc., Class C   300,000    5,580,000 
Pattern Energy Group, Inc., Class A   210,800    3,914,556 
         36,579,689 
         550,766,066 
  Total Common Stocks        1,046,824,586 
EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS (2.1%)          
           
UNITED STATES (2.1%)          
iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF   103,800    12,091,662 

 

See Notes to Portfolio of Investments.

 

Portfolio of Investments (unaudited) (concluded)

 

As of July 31, 2018

 

SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF  $262,000   $11,271,240 
         23,362,902 
Total Exchange-Traded Funds        23,362,902 
  Total Long-Term Investments—98.5% (cost $864,825,103)        1,070,187,488 
              
Shares   Description   Value
(US$)
 
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT—0.1%        
         
UNITED STATES—0.1%        
 778,142 State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Institutional Class, 1.48%(d)   778,142 
    Total Short-Term Investment—0.1% (cost $778,142)  778,142 
    Total Investments—98.6% (cost $865,603,245)  1,070,965,630 
    Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities—1.4%   15,088,278 
    Net Assets—100.0%     $1,086,053,908 
             
(a) Non-Income Producing Security.
(b) Fair Values are determined pursuant to procedures approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors. Unless otherwise noted, securities are valued by applying valuation factors to the exchange traded price. See Note (a) of the accompanying Notes to Portfolio of Investments.
(c) Denotes a security issued under Regulation S or Rule 144A.
(d) Registered investment company advised by State Street Global Advisors. The rate shown is the 7 day yield as of July 31, 2018.
   
ADR   American Depositary Receipt
CVA Dutch Certificate
ETF Exchange-Traded Fund
PLC Public Limited Company
REIT Real Estate Investment Trust

 

At July 31, 2018, the Fund’s open forward foreign currency exchange contracts were as follows:

 

Sale Contracts
Settlement Date
  Counterparty  Amount
Purchased
   Amount
Sold
   Fair Value    Unrealized
Appreciation
 
United States Dollar/Euro      
10/11/2018  State Street Bank and Trust  USD 28,925,165   EUR 24,500,000   $28,798,986   $126,179 

 

See Notes to Portfolio of Investments.

 

Notes to Portfolio of Investments (unaudited)

 

July 31, 2018

 

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

a. Security Valuation:

 

The Fund values its securities at current market value or fair value, consistent with regulatory requirements. “Fair value” is defined in the Fund’s Valuation and Liquidity Procedures as the price that could be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between willing market participants without a compulsion to transact at the measurement date.

 

Equity securities that are traded on an exchange are valued at the last quoted sale price on the principal exchange on which the security is traded at the “Valuation Time” subject to application, when appropriate, of the valuation factors described in the paragraph below. Under normal circumstances, the Valuation Time is as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). In the absence of a sale price, the security is valued at the mean of the bid/ask price quoted at the close on the principal exchange on which the security is traded. Securities traded on NASDAQ are valued at the NASDAQ official closing price. Closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) are valued at the market price of the security at the Valuation Time. A security using any of these pricing methodologies is determined to be a Level 1 investment.

 

Foreign equity securities that are traded on foreign exchanges that close prior to the Valuation Time are valued by applying valuation factors to the last sale price or the mean price as noted above. Valuation factors are provided by an independent pricing service provider. These valuation factors are used when pricing the Fund’s portfolio holdings to estimate market movements between the time foreign markets close and the time the Fund values such foreign securities. These valuation factors are based on inputs such as depositary receipts, indices, futures, sector indices/ETFs, exchange rates, and local exchange opening and closing prices of each security. When prices with the application of valuation factors are utilized, the value assigned to the foreign securities may not be the same as quoted or published prices of the securities on their primary markets. A security that applies a valuation factor is determined to be a Level 2 investment because the exchange-traded price has been adjusted. Valuation factors are not utilized if the independent pricing service provider is unable to provide a valuation factor or if the valuation factor falls below a predetermined threshold; in such case, the security is determined to be a Level 1 investment.

 

Short-term investments are comprised of cash and cash equivalents invested in short-term investment funds which are redeemable daily. The Fund sweeps available cash into the State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, which has elected to qualify as a “government money market fund” pursuant to Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and has an objective to maintain a $1.00 per share net asset value. Generally, these investment types are categorized as Level 1 investments.

 

In the event that a security’s market quotations are not readily available or are deemed unreliable (for reasons other than because the foreign exchange on which it trades closes before the Valuation Time), the security is valued at fair value as determined by the Fund’s Pricing Committee, taking into account the relevant factors and surrounding circumstances using valuation policies and procedures approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors. A security that has been fair valued by the Fund’s Pricing Committee may be classified as Level 2 or Level 3 depending on the nature of the inputs.

 

In accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosures under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, the Fund discloses the fair value of its investments using a three-level hierarchy that classifies the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure the fair value. The hierarchy assigns Level 1, the highest level, measurements to valuations based upon unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets, Level 2 measurements to valuations based upon other significant observable inputs, including adjusted quoted prices in active markets for similar assets, and Level 3, the lowest level, measurements to valuations based upon unobservable inputs that are significant to the valuation. Observable inputs are inputs that reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, which are based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the

 

Notes to Portfolio of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

 

July 31, 2018

 

circumstances. A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The three-level hierarchy of inputs is summarized below:

 

Level 1 — quoted prices in active markets for identical investments;

Level 2 — other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, and credit risk); or

Level 3 — significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).

 

The following is a summary of the inputs used as of July 31, 2018 in valuing the Fund’s investments at fair value. The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. Refer to the Portfolio of Investments for a detailed breakout of the security types:

 

Investments, at Value   Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  
Long-Term Investments                  
Common Stocks   $  729,960,723   $  316,863,863   $                        —   $  1,046,824,586  
Exchange-Traded Funds   23,362,902       23,362,902  
Short-Term Investment   778,142       778,142  
Total Investments   754,101,767   316,863,863     1,070,965,630  
Other Financial Instruments                  
Assets                  
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts     126,179     126,179  

 

For movements between the levels within the fair value hierarchy, the Fund has adopted a policy of recognizing transfers at the end of each period. The utilization of valuation factors may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2. During the period ended July 31, 2018, securities issued by Allianz SE, Alstom SA, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA, Bouygues SA, BT Group PLC, Cellnex Telecom SA, China Construction Bank Corp., Class H, China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd., Class H, CRRC Corp. Ltd., Class H, Deutsche Boerse AG, Essity AB, Class B, Ferrovial SA, Intesa Sanpaolo, Japan Airlines Co. Ltd., Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario SpA, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Mitsui Fudosan Co. Ltd., REIT, Nestle SA, Nippon Building Fund, Inc., REIT, Nokia OYJ, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., SK Hynix, Inc., Stora Enso OYJ, R Shares, Swedbank AB, A Shares, Symrise AG, Unilever NV, CVA, UPM-Kymmene OYJ, Veolia Environnement SA and Vodafone Group PLC, transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 at the values of $10,509,086, $6,545,464, $9,778,279, $10,842,471, $7,839,625, $13,914,310, $8,228,544, $6,604,677, $4,581,503, $10,477,019, $12,257,104, $13,278,037, $9,306,073, $9,210,154, $7,339,375, $10,570,137, $8,536,483, $13,446,402, $4,342,611, $8,548,556, $6,537,861, $6,175,500, $10,487,284, $6,829,341, $8,153,068, $8,711,334, $8,250,935, $10,681,463 and $15,714,832, respectively, because a valuation factor was applied at July 31, 2018.

 

For the period ended July 31, 2018, there were no significant changes to the fair valuation methodologies.

 

b. Restricted Securities:

Restricted securities are privately-placed securities whose resale is restricted under U.S. securities laws. The Funds may invest in restricted securities, including unregistered securities eligible for resale without registration pursuant to Rule 144A and privately-placed securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers offered outside the U.S. without registration pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Rule 144A securities may be freely traded among certain qualified institutional investors, such as the Funds, but resale of such securities in the U.S. is permitted only in limited circumstances.

 

c. Rights Issues and Warrants:

Rights issues give the right, normally to existing shareholders, to buy a proportional number of additional securities at a given price (generally at a discount) within a fixed period (generally a short-term period) and are offered at the company’s discretion. Warrants are securities that give the holder the right to buy common stock at a specified price for a specified period of time. Rights issues and warrants are speculative and have no value if they are not exercised before the expiration date. Rights issues and warrants are valued at the last sale price on the exchange on which they are traded.

 

Item 2. Controls and Procedures

 

(a)The Registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) are effective, as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a3(b)) and Rule 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d-15(b)).

 

(b)There was no change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d))) that occurred during the registrant’s last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 3. Exhibits

 

(a)Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer of the Registrant as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-2(a)) is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.302CERT.
 

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.

 

Aberdeen Total Dynamic Dividend Fund

 

By:  /s/ Christian Pittard  
Christian Pittard,  
Principal Executive Officer of  
Aberdeen Total Dynamic Dividend Fund  

 

Date: September 28, 2018

 

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/ Christian Pittard  
Christian Pittard,  
Principal Executive Officer of  
Aberdeen Total Dynamic Dividend Fund  

 

Date: September 28, 2018

 

By:   /s/ Andrea Melia  
Andrea Melia,  
Principal Financial Officer of  
Aberdeen Total Dynamic Dividend Fund  

 

Date: September 28, 2018