Delaware Investments® Dividend and Income Fund, Inc. Appoints H. Jeffrey Dobbs, Joseph Harroz, Jr. and Sandra A. Lawrence as Trustees

Rhea-AI Summary

Delaware Investments Dividend and Income Fund (DDF) appointed H. Jeffrey Dobbs, Joseph Harroz, Jr., and Sandra A. Lawrence as independent trustees effective April 30, 2021. This follows a transaction where Macquarie Management acquired Waddell & Reed Financial's investment management business, managing the Ivy Funds. The Fund aims for high current income with a 7.5% annual distribution rate, calculated based on the average NAV per share. The Fund employs a managed distribution policy that may involve return of capital, and is focused on income-generating equity securities and high-yield debt.

Positive

• Appointment of experienced independent trustees may enhance governance.
• The Fund offers a consistent monthly distribution targeted at 7.5% annual rate.

Negative

• The managed distribution policy may include return of capital, which doesn't reflect investment performance.
• Dependence on estimated distribution sources can lead to uncertainty in actual returns for shareholders.

Today, Delaware Investments Dividend and Income Fund (the “Fund”), a New York Stock Exchange–listed closed-end fund trading under the symbol “DDF,” announced that H. Jeffrey Dobbs, Joseph Harroz, Jr., and Sandra A. Lawrence will become independent trustees of the Fund effective April 30, 2021.

Following their appointments, the Board of Trustees for the Fund will consist of the following individuals: Jerome D. Abernathy, Thomas L. Bennett, Ann D. Borowiec, Joseph W. Chow, H. Jeffrey Dobbs, John A. Fry, Joseph Harroz, Jr., Sandra A. J. Lawrence, Frances A. Sevilla-Sacasa, Thomas K. Whitford, Christianna Wood, Janet L. Yeomans, and Shawn K. Lytle.

On December 2, 2020, Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. (“WDR”), the parent company of Ivy Investment Management Company, the investment adviser of the Ivy Funds Complex (the “Ivy Funds”), and Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc., the U.S. holding company for Macquarie Group Limited’s U.S. asset management business (“Macquarie”), announced that they had entered into an agreement whereby Macquarie would acquire the investment management business of WDR (the “Transaction”). The Transaction closed on April 30, 2021. The Ivy Funds, as part of Delaware Funds by Macquarie, are now managed by Delaware Management Company and distributed by Delaware Distributors, L.P.

Mr. Dobbs has experience as a Trustee to the Ivy Funds. In addition, he has more than 35 years of experience in the automotive, industrial manufacturing, financial services and consumer sectors. He also has served as a partner in a public accounting firm. Mr. Dobbs holds a degree in accounting from Valparaiso University. The Independent Trustees concluded that Mr. Dobbs is suitable to act as Trustee because of his extensive work in the global professional services industry, as well as his educational background.

Mr. Harroz has experience as a Trustee to the Ivy Funds. In addition, he serves as the President of a state university, and also serves as a Director of a bank. He also has served as President and Director of a publicly-traded company, as Interim President and General Counsel to a state university system and as Dean of the College of Law of that state university. Mr. Harroz holds a B.A. degree from the University of Oklahoma and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. The Independent Trustees concluded that Mr. Harroz is suitable to serve as Trustee because of his educational background, his work experience and the length of his service as a Trustee to the Ivy Funds.

Ms. Lawrence has experience as a Trustee to the Ivy Funds. In addition, she has been a member and chair of the board of several public corporations, closely-held corporations and charitable organizations. She also has more than 16 years of experience serving on the boards of public companies, including as Audit Committee Chair and Nominating/Governance Committee Chair, and has served as a chief financial officer and on investment and finance committees. She served as President of Stern Brothers, a municipal bond house, where she held NASD Series licenses 7, 24 and 63. Ms. Lawrence holds an A.B. from Vassar College, as well as master’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Business School. The Independent Trustees concluded that Ms. Lawrence is suitable to serve as Trustee because of her work experience, financial background, academic background and service on corporate and charitable boards.

The Fund is a diversified closed-end fund. The primary investment objective is to seek high current income; capital appreciation is a secondary objective. The Fund seeks to achieve its objectives by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 65% of its total assets in income-generating equity securities, including dividend-paying common stocks, convertible securities, preferred stocks, and other equity-related securities, which may include up to 25% in real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate industry operating companies. Up to 35% of the Fund's total assets may be invested in nonconvertible debt securities consisting primarily of high-yield, high-risk corporate bonds. In addition, the Fund utilizes leveraging techniques in an attempt to obtain a higher return for the Fund. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives.

The Fund has implemented a managed distribution policy. Under the policy, the Fund is managed with a goal of generating as much of the distribution as possible from net investment income and short-term capital gains. The balance of the distribution will then come from long-term capital gains to the extent permitted, and if necessary, a return of capital. A return of capital may occur for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund’s investment performance and should not be confused with ‘yield’ or ‘income’. Even though the Fund may realize current year capital gains, such gains may be offset, in whole or in part, by the Fund’s capital loss carryovers from prior years.

Under the Fund’s managed distribution policy, the Fund makes monthly distributions to common shareholders at a targeted annual distribution rate of 7.5% of the Fund’s average net asset value (“NAV”) per share. The Fund will calculate the average NAV per share from the previous three full months immediately prior to the distribution based on the number of business days in those three months on which the NAV is calculated. The distribution will be calculated as 7.5% of the prior three month’s average NAV per share, divided by 12. The Fund will generally distribute amounts necessary to satisfy the Fund’s managed distribution policy and the requirements prescribed by excise tax rules and Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. This distribution methodology is intended to provide shareholders with a consistent, but not guaranteed, income stream and a targeted annual distribution rate and is intended to narrow any discount between the market price and the NAV of the Fund’s common shares, but there is no assurance that the policy will be successful in doing so. The methodology for determining monthly distributions under the Fund’s managed distribution policy will be reviewed at least annually by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, and the Fund will continue to evaluate its distribution in light of ongoing market conditions.

You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund's managed distribution policy. The amounts and sources of the Fund’s distributions to be reported will be estimates and will not be provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

About Macquarie Investment Management

Macquarie Investment Management, a member of Macquarie Group, is a global asset manager with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. As active managers, we prioritize autonomy and accountability at the team level in pursuit of opportunities that matter for clients. In the US, retail investors recognize our Delaware Funds^® by Macquarie as one of the longest standing mutual fund families, with more than 90 years in existence. Macquarie Investment Management is supported by the resources of Macquarie Group (ASX: MQG; ADR: MQBKY), a global provider of asset management, investment, banking, financial and advisory services.

Advisory services are provided by Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust, a registered investment advisor. Macquarie Group refers to Macquarie Group Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. For more information about Delaware Funds^® by Macquarie, visit delawarefunds.com or call 800 523-1918.

Other than Macquarie Bank Limited (MBL), none of the entities referred to in this document are authorized deposit-taking institutions for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of MBL, a subsidiary of Macquarie Group Limited and an affiliate of Macquarie Investment Management. MBL does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these entities, unless noted otherwise.

© 2021 Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc.

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FAQ

What are the recent changes in the board of trustees for DDF?

H. Jeffrey Dobbs, Joseph Harroz, Jr., and Sandra A. Lawrence were appointed as independent trustees effective April 30, 2021.

What is the distribution rate for Delaware Investments Dividend and Income Fund (DDF)?

The Fund has a targeted annual distribution rate of 7.5% based on the average net asset value per share.

What does the managed distribution policy of DDF include?

The managed distribution policy aims to generate distributions primarily from net investment income and may include returns of capital.

How is the distribution calculated for DDF?

Distributions are calculated as 7.5% of the average NAV per share from the previous three months, divided by 12.

What investment strategy does DDF follow?

DDF seeks to invest at least 65% of its assets in income-generating equity securities and up to 35% in high-yield debt securities.