Saba has a track record of pursuing changes that return discounted trusts to their full NAV and create long-term value for shareholders.
Saba Capital Management, L.P. is one of the world’s single-largest investors in investment trusts.
Saba’s U.K. trust investment strategy – like its closed-end fund ("CEF") strategy in the U.S. – is anchored in protecting shareholder rights by:
Pursuing changes that return discounted trusts to their full NAV
Creating long-term value for shareholders through lower fees and better management
Saba prefers to engage privately with the boards of the trusts in which it invests. However, it will often engage as an activist when it identifies value creation opportunities that can benefit all shareholders.
Saba was also recognized as the "Hedge Fund of the Year" by Risk.net in 2021.1
Saba was founded by Boaz Weinstein in 2009 and currently has $5.5 billion in assets, with offices in New York and London.
Saba has negotiated dozens of shareholder-friendly corporate actions – such as tenders, share buybacks, restructurings and discount management plans – and changes to investment approaches in investment vehicles where shareholders had previously suffered from prolonged poor performance and subpar management. Recent examples include:
Citadel Income Fund (TSX: CTF.UN)
Reached an agreement to reorganize the fund with into a similar open-ended fund, eliminating its trading discount and lowering management fees for shareholders. Link.
Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (NYSE: TPZ)
Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. (NYSE: TTP)
Tortoise Independence Fund, Inc. (NYSE: NDP)
Engaged with the funds to arrive at a shareholder-friendly resolution: a conversion into an actively managed exchange-traded fund. Link.
Following the funds’ conversion announcement in August 2024, the funds’ discounts to NAV were reduced to -1.0%, -0.9% and -0.4% from -13.4%, -16.4% and -15.7%.2
Eaton Vance Senior Floating-Rate Trust (NYSE: EFR)
Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Income Trust (NYSE: EFT)
Eaton Vance Senior Income Trust (NYSE: EVF)
Entered standstill upon implementation of a long-term discount management plan. Link.
Improved average trading discount to NAV from -12% when Saba filed its 13D in 2020 to +1.0% premium today.3
Salient Midstream & MLP Fund (NYSE: SMM)
Reached an agreement to support the fund’s reorganization into a lower fee open-end mutual fund.
Secured distribution paid to all shareholders based on a $300,000 payment by the fund’s investment advisor. Link.
Citadel, Tortoise, Eaton Vance, Salient: for illustrative purposes only.
1 The 21st Annual Hedge Fund Industry Award: 2024 Activist Hedge Fund Manager of the Year is open to hedge funds whose strategy relies primarily on activist investments. Fund strategies that qualify in this category include but are not limited to activist and event-driven instruments. Saba submitted information related to 2023 investment returns, performance track record, risk management, stability of investment team, as well as portfolio management. Winners for the 2024 Institutional Investor Awards were announced on May 1, 2024. More information on the 2024 Institutional Investor Awards and a full list of the winners is available here: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/2d6anafxgowqfj0jskbnk/culture/here-are-the-winners-of-the-21st-annual-hedge-fund-industry-awards. The 20th Annual Hedge Fund Industry Awards: 2023 Activist Hedge Fund Manager of the Year (the “Activist Award”) is open to hedge funds whose strategy relies primarily on activist investments. Fund strategies that qualify in this category include but are not limited to activist and event-driven instruments. Saba submitted information related to 2022 investment returns, performance track record, risk management, stability of investment team, as well as portfolio management. Winners for the 2023 Institutional Investor Awards were announced on May 11, 2023. More information on the 2023 Institutional Investor Awards and a full list of the winners is available here: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b8ynqlgnjb6y8q/Here-Are-the-Winners-of-the-20th-Annual-Hedge-Fund-Industry-Awards. Risk Awards 2021: The Risk Awards 2021 were selected by the editors and journalists of Risk.net, who evaluated managers based on quantitative (e.g. performance) and qualitative factors (e.g. sophistication and effectiveness of a firm’s risk management, adjustment to new technology, and unusual market conditions). As part of their due diligence process, the Risk.net editorial team conducted calls with existing investors. The three-part evaluation criteria can be found here: https://www.riskawards.com/judging-process. Some nominations include an associated awards ceremony for which Saba compensates the award provider to attend the ceremony (e.g. dinner ceremony). These awards do not constitute an endorsement by the award provider and do not express an opinion or view on Saba’s ability to perform its duties as an investment adviser. Ratings are in no way indicative of an adviser’s future performance, which may vary.
2 Bloomberg. Data as of 6 February 2024 market close, six months prior to the Tortoise Capital announcement, and 16 December 2024 market close.
3 Bloomberg. Data as of 16 December 2024 market close.