SEC Form N-CSR filed by PIMCO Energy and Tactical Credit Opportunities Fund

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT COMPANIES

811-23390

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

(Address of principal executive offices)

Bijal Y. Parikh

Treasurer (Principal Financial & Accounting Officer)

650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

(Name and address of agent for service)

David C. Sullivan

Ropes & Gray LLP

Prudential Tower

800 Boylston Street

Boston, MA 02199

PIMCO CLOSED-END FUNDS

 

Table of Contents

Market Insights

Dear Shareholder,

This annual report covers the 12-month reporting period ended June 30, 2023 (the “reporting period”). On the subsequent pages, you will find details regarding investment results and a discussion of certain factors that affected performance during the reporting period.

Amid elevated inflation in many countries during the reporting period, the global economy faced challenges from higher interest rates, tighter credit conditions stemming from the turmoil in the banking sector (especially in the United States (“U.S.”)), and geopolitical concerns. While the U.S. economy showed signs of resilience, some European economies experienced slower growth over the reporting period.

Continued central bank efforts to combat inflation

While inflation remained elevated over the reporting period, many central banks raised interest rates to rein in rising prices. The U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) raised the federal funds rate at 10 consecutive meetings, beginning in March 2022 through May 2023. In June 2023, the Fed then paused from raising rates in order to “assess additional information and its implications for monetary policy.” Meanwhile, the Bank of England and European Central Bank raised interest rates for the 13th and eighth consecutive time, respectively, as of June 2023. In contrast, the Bank of Japan maintained its accommodative monetary policy stance.

Mixed financial market returns

The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rose over the reporting period, as did 10-year bond yields in most other developed market countries. The overall global credit bond market delivered positive total returns. Higher-rated global bonds underperformed lower-rated bonds. Global equities rallied, while commodity prices were volatile and produced mixed returns. The U.S. dollar weakened against the euro and the British pound, but appreciated against the Japanese yen.

Amid evolving conditions, we will continue to work diligently to navigate global markets and manage the assets that you have entrusted with us. We encourage you to speak with your financial advisor about your goals, and visit global.pimco.com for our latest insights.

Sincerely,

 

 

Important Information About the Fund

Information regarding the Fund’s principal investment strategies, principal risks and risk management strategies, the effects of the Fund’s leverage, and the Fund’s fundamental investment restrictions, including a summary of certain changes thereto during the most recent fiscal year, can be found within the relevant sections of this report. Please refer to the Table of Contents for further information.

The Fund may engage in investment strategies, including those that employ the use of paired swaps transactions, the use of interest rate swaps to seek to capitalize on differences between short-term and long-term interest rates and other derivatives transactions, to, among other things, seek to generate current, distributable income, even if such strategies could potentially result in declines in the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”). The Fund’s income and gain-generating strategies, including certain derivatives strategies, may generate current income and gains taxable as ordinary income sufficient to support quarterly distributions even in situations when the Fund has experienced a decline in net assets due to, for example, adverse changes in the broad U.S. or non-U.S. equity markets or the Fund’s debt investments, or arising from its use of derivatives. For instance, a portion of the Fund’s quarterly distributions may be sourced from paired swap transactions utilized to produce current distributable ordinary income for tax purposes on the initial leg, with a substantial possibility that the Fund will later realize a corresponding capital loss and potential decline in its NAV with respect to the forward leg (to the extent there are not corresponding offsetting capital gains being generated from other sources). Because some or all of these transactions may generate capital losses without corresponding offsetting capital gains, portions of the Fund’s distributions recognized as ordinary income for tax purposes (such as from paired swap transactions) may be economically similar to a taxable return of capital when considered together with such capital losses.

The Fund may enter into opposite sides of multiple interest rate swaps or other derivatives with respect to the same underlying reference instrument (e.g., a 10-year U.S. treasury) that have different effective dates with respect to interest accrual time periods also for the principal purpose of generating distributable gains (characterized as ordinary income for tax purposes) that are not part of the Fund’s duration or yield curve management strategies. In such a “paired swap transaction,” the Fund would generally enter into one or more interest rate swap agreements whereby the Fund agrees to make regular payments starting at the time the Fund enters into the agreements equal to a floating interest rate in return for payments equal to a fixed interest rate (the “initial leg”). The Fund would also enter into one or more interest rate swap agreements on the same underlying instrument, but take the opposite position (i.e., in this example, the Fund would make regular payments equal to a fixed interest rate in return for receiving payments equal to a floating interest rate) with respect to a contract whereby the payment obligations do not commence until a date following the commencement of the initial leg (the “forward leg”).

Classifications of Fund portfolio holdings in this report are made according to financial reporting standards. The classification of a particular portfolio holding as shown in the Allocation Breakdown and Consolidated Schedule of Investments sections of this report may differ from the classification used for the Fund’s compliance calculations, including those used in the Fund’s prospectus, investment objectives, regulatory, and other investment limitations and policies, which may be based on different asset class, sector or geographical classifications. The Fund is separately monitored for compliance with respect to prospectus and regulatory requirements.

The geographical classification of foreign securities in this report, if any, are classified by the country of incorporation of a holding. In certain instances, a security’s country of incorporation may be different from its country of economic exposure.

Important Information About the Fund

In February 2022, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. As a result, Russia and other countries, persons and entities that have provided material aid to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine have been the subject of economic sanctions and import and export controls imposed by countries throughout the world, including the United States. Such measures have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on the Russian, Belarusian and other securities and economies, which may, in turn, negatively impact the Fund. The extent, duration and impact of Russia’s military action in Ukraine, related sanctions and retaliatory actions are difficult to ascertain, but could be significant and have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional, European, and global economies and the markets for certain securities and commodities, such as oil and natural gas, as well as other sectors. Further, the Fund may have investments in securities and instruments that are economically tied to the region and may have been negatively impacted by the sanctions and counter-sanctions by Russia, including declines in value and reductions in liquidity. The sanctions may cause the Fund to sell portfolio holdings at a disadvantageous time or price or to continue to hold investments that the Fund may no longer seek to hold. PIMCO will continue to actively manage these positions in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders.

The Fund may invest in certain instruments that rely in some fashion upon the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). LIBOR was traditionally an average interest rate, determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration, that banks charge one another for the use of short-term money. In March 2021, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced plans to ultimately phase out the use of LIBOR. Although the transition process away from LIBOR for many instruments has been completed, some LIBOR use is continuing and there are potential effects related to the transition away from LIBOR or continued use of LIBOR on the Fund, or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests, which can be difficult to ascertain, and may vary depending on factors that include, but are not limited to: (i) existing fallback or termination provisions in individual contracts and (ii) whether, how, and when industry participants adopt new reference rates for affected instruments. The transition of investments from LIBOR to a replacement rate as a result of amendment, application of existing fallbacks, statutory requirements or otherwise may also result in a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Fund or a reduction in the effectiveness of related Fund transactions such as hedges. In addition, an instrument’s transition to a replacement rate could result in variations in the reported yields of the Fund that holds such instrument. Any such effects of the transition away from LIBOR, as well as other unforeseen effects, could result in losses to the Fund.

U.S. and global markets recently have experienced increased volatility, including as a result of the recent failures of certain U.S. and non-U.S. banks, which could be harmful to the Fund and the issuers in which it invests. For example, if a bank at which the Fund or an issuer has an account fails, any cash or other assets in bank or custody accounts, which may be substantial in size, could be temporarily inaccessible or permanently lost by the Fund or issuer. If a bank that provides a subscription line credit facility, asset-based facility, other credit facility and/or other services to an issuer or to a fund fails, the issuer or fund could be unable to draw funds under its credit facilities or obtain replacement credit facilities or other services from other lending institutions with similar terms.

Issuers in which the Fund may invest can be affected by volatility in the banking sector. Even if banks used by issuers in which the Fund invests remain solvent, continued volatility in the banking sector could contribute to, cause or intensify an economic recession, increase the costs of capital and

banking services or result in the issuers being unable to obtain or refinance indebtedness at all or on as favorable terms as could otherwise have been obtained. Conditions in the banking sector are evolving, and the scope of any potential impacts to the Fund and the issuers in which it invests, both from market conditions and also potential legislative or regulatory responses, are uncertain. Such conditions and responses, as well as a changing interest rate environment, can contribute to decreased market liquidity and erode the value of certain holdings, including those of U.S. and non-U.S. banks. Continued market volatility and uncertainty and/or a downturn in market and economic and financial conditions, as a result of developments in the banking sector or otherwise (including as a result of delayed access to cash or credit facilities), could have an adverse impact on the Fund and the issuers in which it invests.

The Fund may make investments in debt instruments and other securities or instruments directly or through one or more direct or indirect fully-owned subsidiaries formed by the Fund (each, a “Subsidiary”). A Subsidiary may invest, for example, in whole loans or in shares, certificates, notes or other securities representing the right to receive principal and interest payments due on fractions of whole loans or pools of whole loans, or any other security or other instrument that the Fund may hold directly.

The Fund may seek to gain exposure to commodities through investments in swap agreements, futures and options, and through investments in PIMCO Cayman Commodity Fund IX, Ltd., a Subsidiary organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Cayman Subsidiary”). The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Cayman Subsidiary. The Cayman Subsidiary is advised by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO or the “Manager”) and has the same investment objectives as the Fund. The Cayman Subsidiary (unlike the Fund) may invest without limit in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments.

References herein to the Fund include references to a Subsidiary in respect of the Fund’s investment exposure. The allocation of the Fund’s assets to a Subsidiary will vary over time and the Fund’s portfolio may not always include all of the different types of investments described herein. By investing through its Subsidiaries, the Fund is exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiaries’ investments. The Subsidiaries are not registered as investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “Act”), and are not subject to all of the investor protections of the Act, although each Subsidiary is managed pursuant to the compliance policies and procedures of the Fund applicable to it. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the jurisdiction in which a Subsidiary is organized could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this report and could adversely affect the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objectives of the Subsidiaries will be achieved.

The common shares of the Fund trade on the New York Stock Exchange. As with any stock, the price of the Fund’s common shares will fluctuate with market conditions and other factors. If you sell your common shares of the Fund, the price received may be more or less than your original investment. Shares of closed-end management investment companies, such as the Fund, frequently trade at a discount from their NAV and may trade at a price that is less than the initial offering price and/or the NAV of such shares. Further, if the Fund’s shares trade at a price that is more than the initial offering price and/or the NAV of such shares, including at a substantial premium and/or for an extended period of time, there is no assurance that any such premium will be sustained for any period of time and will not decrease, or that the shares will not trade at a discount to NAV thereafter.

Important Information About the Fund

On the Fund Summary page in this Shareholder Report, the Average Annual Total Return table and Cumulative Returns chart measure performance assuming that any dividend and capital gain distributions were reinvested. Total return is calculated by determining the percentage change in NAV or market price (as applicable) in the specific period. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on (i) Fund distributions or (ii) the sale of Fund shares. Total return for a period of more than one year represents the average annual total return. Performance at market price will differ from results at NAV. Although market price returns tend to reflect investment results over time, during shorter periods returns at market price can also be influenced by factors such as changing views about the Fund, market conditions, supply and demand for the Fund’s shares, or changes in the Fund’s dividends. Performance shown is net of fees and expenses. Historical NAV performance for the Fund may have been positively impacted by fee waivers or expense limitations in place during some or all of the periods shown, if applicable. Future performance (including total return or yield) and distributions may be negatively impacted by the expiration or reduction of any such fee waivers or expense limitations.

The Fund’s quarterly distributions may include, among other possible sources, interest income from its debt portfolio and payments and premiums (characterized as capital for financial accounting purposes and as ordinary income for tax purposes) generated by certain types of interest rate derivatives.

The dividend rate that the Fund pays on its common shares may vary as portfolio and market conditions change, and will depend on a number of factors, including without limit the amount of the Fund’s undistributed net investment income and net short- and long-term capital gains, as well as the costs of any leverage obtained by the Fund. As portfolio and market conditions change, the rate of distributions on the common shares and the Fund’s dividend policy could change. There can be no assurance that a change in market conditions or other factors will not result in a change in the Fund’s distribution rate or that the rate will be sustainable in the future.

The following table discloses the inception date and diversification status of the Fund:

An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. It is possible to lose money on investments in the Fund.

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Fund. The Trustees authorize the Fund to enter into service agreements with the Manager and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither the Fund’s original or any subsequent prospectus or Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), any press release or shareholder report, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Fund’s registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings (including this report) from or on behalf of the Fund creates a contract between or among any shareholders of the Fund, on the one hand, and the Fund, a service provider to the Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Fund, on the other hand.

The Trustees (or the Fund and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend its most recent prospectus or use a new prospectus or SAI with respect to the Fund, adopt and disclose new or amended policies and other changes in press releases and shareholder reports and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Fund is a party, and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to the Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement was specifically disclosed in the Fund’s prospectus, SAI or shareholder report and is otherwise still in effect.

PIMCO has adopted written proxy voting policies and procedures (“Proxy Policy”) as required by under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The Proxy Policy has been adopted by the Fund as the policies and procedures that PIMCO will use when voting proxies on behalf of the Fund.

A description of the policies and procedures that PIMCO uses to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities of the Fund, and information about how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities held during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30th, are available without charge, upon request, by calling the Fund at (844) on the Fund’s website at www.pimco.com, and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) website at www.sec.gov.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to their reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available to the public on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on PIMCO’s website at www.pimco.com, and upon request by calling PIMCO

SEC rules allow the Fund to deliver shareholder reports to be delivered to investors by providing access to such reports online free of charge and by mailing a notice that the report is electronically available. Investors may elect to receive all reports in paper free of charge by contacting their financial intermediary or, if invested directly with the Fund, investors can inform the Fund by calling (844) 33-PIMCO. Any election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with the fund complex if invested directly with the Fund or to all funds held in the investor’s account if invested through a financial intermediary.

In April 2020, the SEC adopted amended rules modifying the registration, communications, and offering processes for registered closed-end funds and interval funds. Among other things, the amendments: (1) permit qualifying closed-end funds to use a short-form registration statement to offer securities in eligible transactions and certain funds to qualify as Well Known Seasoned Issuers; (2) permit interval funds to pay registration fees based on net issuance of shares in a manner similar to mutual funds; (3) require closed-end funds and interval funds to include additional disclosures in their annual reports; and (4) require certain information to be filed in interactive data format. The new rules had phased compliance, with the latest requirement taking effect as of February 1, 2023.

In October 2020, the SEC adopted a rule related to the use of derivatives, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements and certain other transactions by registered investment companies that rescinds and withdraws prior guidance of the SEC and its staff regarding asset segregation and cover transactions. Subject to certain exceptions, the rule requires funds that trade derivatives and other

Important Information About the Fund

transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations to comply with a value-at-risk leverage limit and certain derivatives risk management program and reporting requirements. These requirements may limit the ability of the Fund to use derivatives and reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions as part of their investment strategies and may increase the cost of the Fund’s investments and cost of doing business, which could adversely affect investors. The compliance date for the new rule and related reporting requirements was August 19, 2022.

In December 2020, the SEC adopted a rule addressing fair valuation of fund investments. The new rule sets forth requirements for good faith determinations of fair value as well as for the performance of fair value determinations, including related oversight and reporting obligations. The new rule also defines “readily available market quotations” for purposes of the definition of “value” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Act”), and the SEC noted that this definition will apply in all contexts under the Act. The effective date for the rule was March 8, 2021. The compliance date for the new rule and the related reporting requirements was September 8, 2022.

In May 2022, the SEC proposed amendments to a current rule governing fund naming conventions. In general, the current rule requires funds with certain types of names to adopt a policy to invest at least 80% of their assets in the type of investment suggested by the name. The proposed amendments would expand the scope of the current rule in a number of ways that would result in an expansion of the types of fund names that would require the fund to adopt an 80% investment policy under the rule. Additionally, the proposed amendments would modify the circumstances under which a fund may deviate from its 80% investment policy and address the use and valuation of derivatives instruments for purposes of the rule. The proposal’s impact on the Fund will not be known unless and until any final rulemaking is adopted.

In May 2022, the SEC proposed a framework that would require certain registered funds (such as the Fund) to disclose their environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) investing practices. Among other things, the proposed requirements would mandate that funds meeting three pre-defined classifications (i.e., integrated, ESG focused and/or impact funds) provide prospectus and shareholder report disclosure related to the ESG factors, criteria and processes used in managing the fund. The proposal’s impact on the Fund will not be known unless and until any final rulemaking is adopted.

In October 2022, the SEC adopted changes to the mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) shareholder report and registration statement disclosure requirements and the registered fund advertising rules, which will impact the disclosures provided to shareholders. The rule amendments are effective as of January 24, 2023, but the SEC is providing an 18-month compliance period following the effective date for such amendments other than those addressing fee and expense information in advertisements that might be materially misleading.

In November 2022, the SEC adopted amendments to Form N-PX under the Act to improve the utility to investors of proxy voting information reported by mutual funds, ETFs and certain other funds. The rule amendments will expand the scope of funds’ Form N-PX reporting obligations, subject managers to Form N-PX reporting obligations for “Say on Pay” votes, enhance Form N-PX disclosures, permit joint reporting by funds, managers and affiliated managers on Form N-PX; and require website availability of fund proxy voting records. The amendments will become effective on July 1, 2024. Funds and managers will be required to file their first reports covering the period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 on amended Form N-PX by August 31, 2024.

In May 2023, the SEC adopted final amendments that will require increased disclosure regarding repurchases by issuers of their equity securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The final amendments apply to business development companies and listed closed-end funds, but they do not apply to open-end funds or unlisted closed-end funds. Business development companies and listed closed-end funds will be required to provide greater quantitative and qualitative details related to share repurchases in their periodic reports, including: (i) daily quantitative share repurchase data presented in a table attached as an exhibit to the issuer’s periodic reports; (ii) checkbox disclosure regarding whether its directors and officers purchased or sold shares that are the subject of the issuer’s repurchase plan or program within four business days before or after the issuer’s announcement of such repurchase plan or program or the announcement of an increase of an existing share repurchase plan or program; and (iii) narrative descriptions regarding the issuer’s repurchase programs and practices. Listed closed-end funds are required to comply with the new requirements beginning with the Form N-CSR that covers the first six-month period that begins on or after January 1, 2024.

$10,000 invested at the end of the month when the Fund commenced operations.

 

It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Symbol on NYSE - 

     

Index Descriptions

Financial Highlights

(d)

(e)

Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Consolidated Statement of Operations

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Assets

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

A Statement of Cash Flows is presented when the Fund has a significant amount of borrowing during the year, based on the average total borrowing outstanding in relation to total assets or when substantially all of the Fund’s investments are not classified as Level 1 or 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

Consolidated Schedule of Investments

(Amounts in thousands*, except number of shares, contracts, units and ounces, if any)