SRH Total Return Fund offers significant exposure to Berkshire Hathaway, with it making up a 38% concentration. The fund's deep discount and more consistent distribution increases could attract some investors, despite its relatively low distribution rate for a CEF. That said, despite the deep discount, activist pressure on the fund is unlikely to materialize due to a significant concentration of ownership.
STEW is attractive due to its 20%+ discount, low-cost fixed leverage, and 4% distribution yield, despite underperforming the S&P 500 recently. The fund's NAV is understated due to accounting rules, with a potential $41.7 million higher NAV if fair market value of senior notes is used. Share repurchases at significant discounts have been accretive to NAV, but the large Horejsi family holdings limit fund activism.
SRH Total Return Fund uses a value-driven, bottom-up investment approach, focusing on long-term attractive returns with a low dividend yield. STEW's top-10 holdings, including a 38% stake in Berkshire Hathaway, account for over 75% of its portfolio. Despite a -22% discount to NAV, STEW has matched the S&P 500's performance, delivering over 20% return in the past year.
SRH Total Return Fund is a concentrated equity fund with heavy bets on Berkshire Hathaway and other value-oriented stocks. The fund has underperformed mightily in recent months, primarily due to a widening discount to NAV, which is currently at a historically wide 22%. This historically wide discount to NAV creates a wide margin of safety for investors. So I am raising STEW to a relative buy.
The SRH Total Return Fund remains heavily invested in Berkshire Hathaway and runs a concentrated portfolio overall.
The SRH Total Return Fund, Inc has a disappointing current yield of 3.97%, lower than most closed-end funds and cash in a money market fund. The STEW closed-end fund's share price has consistently trailed the S&P 500 Index over the past five years. The fund's heavy concentration in a few securities, including Berkshire Hathaway, may be a factor in its underperformance.
The SRH Total Return Fund is an equity-oriented closed-end fund with a large cap value tilt and a significant holding in Berkshire Hathaway. STEW has access to low-cost fixed leverage below 3%, giving it an advantage over other closed-end funds that pay higher variable cost leverage. The fund's net asset value (NAV) may be understated due to the way closed-end funds compute NAV when there are senior notes or preferred stock in the capital structure.