SEC Form SC TO-I filed by BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE TO
TENDER OFFER STATEMENT
Under Section 14(d)(1) or 13(e)(1)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust
(Name of Subject Company (Issuer))
BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust
(Names of Filing Person(s) (Issuer))
Common Shares of Beneficial Interest, Par Value $0.001 per share
(Title of Class of Securities)
09250U101
(CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)
John M. Perlowski
BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust
50 Hudson Yards
New York, New York 10001
(800) 882-0052
(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications on Behalf of Filing Person(s))
Copies to:
| Margery K. Neale, Esq. | Janey Ahn, Esq. | |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP | BlackRock Advisors, LLC | |
| 787 Seventh Avenue | 50 Hudson Yards | |
| New York, New York 10019 | New York, New York 10001 |
January 22, 2025
(Date Tender Offer First Published, Sent or Given to Security Holders)
| ☐ | Check the box if the filing relates solely to preliminary communications made before the commencement of a tender offer. |
Check the appropriate boxes below to designate any transactions to which this statement relates:
| ☐ | third-party tender offer subject to Rule 14d-1 |
| ☒ | issuer tender offer subject to Rule 13e-4 |
| ☐ | going-private transaction subject to Rule 13e-3 |
| ☐ | amendment to Schedule 13D under Rule 13d-2 |
Check the following box if the filing is a final amendment reporting the results of the tender offer. ☐
Introductory Statement
This Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO relates to an offer by BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Fund”), to repurchase 2.5% of its issued and outstanding common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”), in exchange for cash at a price equal to 98% of the net asset value (“NAV”) per Share (the “Purchase Price”) determined as of the close of the regular trading session of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), the principal market on which the Shares are traded, on the next day the NAV is calculated after the offer expires (the “Pricing Date”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated January 22, 2025 (the “Original Offer to Purchase”), the Supplement No. 1 to the Original Offer to Purchase, dated January 22, 2025 (the “Supplement No. 1” and together with the Original Offer to Purchase, the “Offer to Purchase”), and in the related Letter of Transmittal which are filed as Exhibits (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii), respectively, to this Schedule TO.
This Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO is being filed in satisfaction of the reporting requirements of Rule 13e-4(c)(2) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
The information set forth in the Original Offer to Purchase, as supplemented by the Supplement No. 1, and the related Letter of Transmittal is incorporated herein by reference in answer to Item 1 through Item 9 and Item 11 of Schedule TO.
| Item 1. | Summary Term Sheet |
The information set forth under “Summary Term Sheet” in the Offer to Purchase is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 2. | Subject Company Information |
(a) The name of the issuer is BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust, a non-diversified closed-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust (the “Fund”). The principal executive offices of the Fund are located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809. The telephone number of the Fund is (800) 882-0052.
(b) The title of the securities being sought is common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.001 per share. As of January 14, 2025, there were 26,108,893 Shares issued and outstanding.
(c) The principal market in which the Shares are traded is the NYSE. For information on the high and low closing (as of the close of ordinary trading on the NYSE on the last day of each of the Fund’s fiscal quarters) market prices of the Shares in such principal market for each quarter for the past two calendar years, see Section 10, “Price Range of Shares” of the Offer to Purchase, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 3. | Identity and Background of Filing Person |
(a) The Fund is the filing person. BlackRock Advisors, LLC acts as the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Advisor”). The Investment Advisor, located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, is a wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. The members of the Fund’s Board of Trustees are Cynthia L. Egan, Lorenzo A. Flores, Stayce D. Harris, J. Phillip Holloman, R. Glenn Hubbard, W. Carl Kester, Catherine A. Lynch, Arthur P. Steinmetz, Robert Fairbairn and John M. Perlowski (each, a “Trustee”). The principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer of the Fund are John M. Perlowski and Trent Walker, respectively. The Trustees and the executive officers of the Fund may be reached at the Fund’s business address and phone number set forth in Item 2(a) above. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Certain Information about the Fund” is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 4. | Terms of the Transaction |
(a)(1) The following sections of the Offer to Purchase contain a description of the material terms of the transaction and are incorporated herein by reference:
| • | “Summary Term Sheet” |
| • | “Price; Number of Shares” |
| • | “Purpose of the Offer” |
| • | “Plans or Proposals of the Fund” |
| • | “Certain Conditions of the Offer” |
| • | “Procedures for Tendering Shares for Purchase” |
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| • | “Withdrawal Rights” |
| • | “Payment for Shares” |
| • | “Source and Amount of Consideration” |
| • | “Effects of the Offer; Consequences of Participation” |
| • | “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangement Concerning the Shares” |
| • | “Certain Information about the Fund” |
| • | “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” |
| • | “Amendments; Extensions of Repurchase Period; Termination” |
| • | “Fees and Expenses” |
(a)(2) Not applicable.
(b) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares” is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 5. | Past Contracts, Transactions, Negotiations and Agreements |
(e) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Purpose of the Offer;” “Plans or Proposals of the Fund,” “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares” and “Certain Information About the Fund” is incorporated herein by reference. As described in the Supplement No. 1, on January 20, 2025, the Fund and the Investment Advisor entered into a standstill agreement (the “Saba Standstill Agreement”) with Saba Capital Management, L.P. (“Saba”). During the effective period of the Saba Standstill Agreement, Saba, the Fund and the Investment Advisor agreed to be bound by the terms of such agreement, which include an agreement by Saba to (1) abide by certain customary standstill covenants, and (2) vote its Shares, if any, in accordance with the recommendation of the Fund’s Board on all matters submitted to shareholders. The Saba Standstill Agreement will remain in effect until the day following completion of the Fund’s 2027 annual meeting of shareholders or August 31, 2027, whichever is earlier, unless the agreement is terminated earlier by the parties. A copy of the Saba Standstill Agreement is included as Exhibit (d)(6) to this Schedule TO.
| Item 6. | Purposes of the Transaction and Plans or Proposals |
(a) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Purpose of the Offer” and “Plans or Proposals of the Fund” is incorporated herein by reference.
(b) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Purpose of the Offer” is incorporated herein by reference.
(c) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Purpose of the Offer” and “Plans or Proposals of the Fund” is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 7. | Source and Amount of Funds or Other Considerations |
(a) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Source and Amount of Consideration” is incorporated herein by reference.
(b) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Source and Amount of Consideration” is incorporated herein by reference.
(d) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Source and Amount of Consideration” is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 8. | Interests in Securities of the Subject Company |
(a) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares” is incorporated herein by reference.
(b) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares” is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 9. | Persons/Assets Retained, Employed, Compensated or Used |
(a) No persons have been directly or indirectly employed, retained, or are to be compensated by or on behalf of the Fund to make solicitations or recommendations in connection with the Offer to Purchase.
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| Item 10. | Financial Statements |
(a) The audited annual financial statements of the Fund dated December 31, 2023 and the schedule of investments of the Fund dated December 31, 2023, both filed with the SEC on EDGAR on Form N-CSR on March 6, 2024, are incorporated by reference. The unaudited semi-annual financial statements of the Fund dated June 30, 2024 and the schedule of investments of the Fund dated June 30, 2024, both filed with the SEC on EDGAR on Form N-CSRS on September 5, 2024, are incorporated by reference.
(b) Not applicable.
| Item 11. | Additional Information |
(a)(1) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under “Interests of Trustees and Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares” is incorporated herein by reference.
(a)(2) None.
(a)(3) Not applicable.
(a)(4) Not applicable.
(a)(5) None.
(c) Not applicable.
| Item 12(a). | Exhibits |
| (a)(1)(i) | Offer to Purchase, dated January 22, 2025, is filed herewith. |
| (a)(1)(ii) | Supplement No. 1 to Offer to Purchase, dated January 22, 2025, is filed herewith. |
| (a)(1)(iii) |
| (a)(2) | None. |
| (a)(3) | Not Applicable. |
| (a)(4) | Not Applicable. |
| (a)(5)(i) |
| (b) | None. |
| (d)(1) |
| (d)(2) |
| (d)(3) |
| (d)(4) |
| (d)(5) |
| (d)(6) |
| (g) | None. |
| (h) | None. |
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| Item 12(c). | Filing Fees |
| Item 13. | Information Required By Schedule 13E-3 |
Not Applicable.
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SIGNATURE
After due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.
| BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust | ||
| By: | /s/ John M. Perlowski | |
| Name: John M. Perlowski | ||
| Title: President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Dated: January 22, 2025 | ||
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Exhibit Index
| Exhibit Number |
Description | |
| (a)(1)(i) | Offer to Purchase, dated January 22, 2025 | |
| (a)(1)(ii) | Supplement No. 1 to Offer to Purchase, dated January 22, 2025 | |
| (a)(1)(iii) | Form of Letter of Transmittal | |
| (d)(2) | Amended and Restated Investment Management Agreement | |
| Filing Fee Exhibit | ||
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