Liberty All-Star Growth Fund

LOGO


LIBERTY ALL-STAR® GROWTH FUND, INC.

Period Ending March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)

 

 

Fund Statistics    1st Quarter 2014

Net Asset Value (NAV)

   $5.78

Market Price

   $5.59

Discount

   3.3%

Distribution*

   $0.09

Market Price Trading Range

   $5.01 to $6.28

Discount Range

   3.2% to 9.6%
Performance      

Shares Valued at NAV with Dividends Reinvested

   (0.60)%

Shares Valued at Market Price with Dividends Reinvested

   1.09%

Dow Jones Industrial Average

   (0.15)%

Lipper Multi-Cap Growth Mutual Fund Average

   0.82%

NASDAQ Composite Index

   0.83%

Russell 3000® Growth Index

   1.07%

S&P 500® Index

   1.81%

 

*

Sources of distributions to shareholders may include ordinary dividends, long-term capital gains and return of capital. 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. Pursuant to Section 852 of the Internal Revenue Code, the taxability of this distribution will be reported on Form 1099-DIV for 2014.

Returns for the Fund are total returns, which include dividends. Performance returns are net of management fees and other Fund expenses.

The figure shown for the Lipper Multi-Cap Growth Mutual Fund Average is based on open-end mutual funds’ total returns, which include dividends, and are net of fund expenses. Figures shown for the unmanaged Dow Jones Industrial Average, NASDAQ Composite Index, the Russell 3000® Growth Index and the S&P 500® Index are total returns, including dividends. A description of the Lipper benchmark and the market indices can be found on page 18.

Past performance cannot predict future results. Performance will fluctuate with market conditions. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data shown. Performance information does not reflect the deduction of taxes that shareholders would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. An investment in the Fund involves risk, including loss of principal.

Closed-end funds raise money in an initial public offering and shares are listed and traded on an exchange. Open-end mutual funds continuously issue and redeem shares at net asset value. Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. The price of the Fund’s shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the Fund. Therefore, the Fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above net asset value.

 


 Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund

   President’s Letter 
  

 

(Unaudited) 

 

Fellow Shareholders:

   April 2014

Measured by return, the first quarter of 2014 was subdued, especially when compared with 2013’s 32.39 percent gain in the S&P 500® Index, including the fourth quarter return of 10.51 percent. For the first quarter, the S&P 500® returned 1.81 percent; the widely followed Dow Jones Industrial Average was fractionally negative, losing 0.15 percent; and the technology-focused NASDAQ Composite Index advanced 0.83 percent.

The first quarter represented the fifth straight quarterly rise for the S&P 500® and the NASDAQ Composite, although it was the smallest advance for both since the fourth quarter of 2012. While the S&P 500® rose to a record high in February, it backed off in March when it appeared that the Federal Reserve might raise short-term interest rates earlier than anticipated. As the quarter closed, remarks from the new Federal Reserve Chair, Janet Yellen, eased investor concerns about the potential for an early rate increase and the second quarter opened with the S&P 500® rising to another record—its seventh of the year. Economic news remained mixed during the quarter; on balance, however, data continued to indicate moderate, but steady improvement. Investors did find cause for concern in soft economic news out of China and heightened geopolitical tensions arising from Russia’s seizure of Crimea and unrest in Ukraine.

Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund

Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund returns generally tracked broad indices for the quarter. The Fund returned -0.60 percent with shares valued at net asset value (NAV) with dividends reinvested and 1.09 percent with shares valued at market price with dividends reinvested. For the trailing 12-month period, the Fund has returned 26.21 percent with shares valued at NAV with dividends reinvested and 33.83 percent with shares valued at market price with dividends reinvested. For the quarter and trailing 12 months, the Lipper Multi-Cap Growth Mutual Fund Average returned 0.82 percent and 24.45 percent, respectively. For the quarter, the discount at which Fund shares traded relative to their NAV narrowed somewhat from the previous quarter, ranging from a low of 3.2 percent to a high of 9.6 percent.

Well into March, the Fund had been on pace to outperform both the Russell 3000 Growth® Index and the Lipper Multi-Cap Growth Mutual Fund Average for the quarter. The Fund encountered a 3.67 percent decline in March, however, after rising 5.45 percent in February. By comparison, the Russell index declined 1.13 percent in March while the Lipper average declined 2.43 percent. The Fund was hurt by its allocation to consumer discretionary stocks, as winter weather continued into March and dampened consumer spending. Information technology stocks, specifically software and social networking stocks, also experienced declines after a strong run-up in 2013.

 

 

 First Quarter Report (Unaudited) | March 31, 2014

 


 President’s Letter

   Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund 
  

 

(Unaudited) 

 

In keeping with policy, the Fund’s distribution for the first quarter was $0.09. The Fund’s distribution policy has been in place since 1997 and is a major component of the Fund’s total return. Since 1997, the Fund has paid distributions totaling $11.64 per share and we would emphasize that shareholders should include these distributions when determining the return on their investment in the Fund.

While markets moved sideways in the first quarter, volatility increased as the period drew to a close and the second quarter got underway. The volatility hit the NASDAQ Composite hardest—specifically the previously mentioned high-growth information technology and social networking stocks, but also biotechnology shares. One contributing factor was last year’s strong gains in many of those stocks, as investors became concerned that valuations had become stretched. A retrenchment is to be expected—and can be healthy for the long term—in the wake of the 30 percent-plus returns seen in 2013, not to mention a bull market that dates back five years to March 2009. We will monitor trends as they unfold, but continue to believe that the Fund’s philosophy, objectives and structure will serve long-term investors well through all market cycles.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

William R. Parmentier, Jr.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund, Inc.

 

The views expressed in the President’s letter reflect the views of the President as of April 2014 and may not reflect his views on the date this report is first published or anytime thereafter. These views are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict so actual outcomes and results may differ significantly from the views expressed. These views are subject to change at any time based upon economic, market or other conditions and the Fund disclaims any responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for the Fund are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of trading intent.

 

 

 2

  www.all-starfunds.com 


 Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund

   Table of Distributions & Rights Offerings 
  

 

March 31, 2014 (Unaudited) 

 

          Rights Offerings
  Year   

Per Share

Distributions

   Month Completed   

Shares Needed to

Purchase One

Additional Share

  Subscription Price

  1997

     $1.24              

  1998

       1.35    July    10   $12.41

  1999

       1.23              

  2000

       1.34              

  2001

       0.92    September        6.64

  2002

       0.67              

  2003

       0.58    September    8*     5.72

  2004

       0.63              

  2005

       0.58              

  2006

       0.59              

  2007

       0.61              

  2008

       0.47              

  2009**

       0.24              

  2010

       0.25              

  2011

       0.27              

  2012

       0.27              

  2013

       0.31              

  2014

  1st Quarter

       0.09              

  Total

   $11.64        

 

*

The number of shares offered was increased by an additional 25% to cover a portion of the over-subscription requests.

**

Effective with the second quarter distribution, the annual distribution rate was changed from 10 percent to 6 percent.

DISTRIBUTION POLICY

 

Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund, Inc.’s current policy is to pay distributions on its shares totaling approximately 6 percent of its net asset value per year, payable in four quarterly installments of 1.5 percent of the Fund’s net asset value at the close of the New York Stock Exchange on the Friday prior to each quarterly declaration date. The fixed distributions are not related to the amount of the Fund’s net investment income or net realized capital gains or losses and may be taxed as ordinary income up to the amount of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. If, for any calendar year, the total distributions made under the distribution policy exceed the Fund’s net investment income and net realized capital gains, the excess will generally be treated as a non-taxable return of capital, reducing the shareholder’s adjusted basis in his or her shares. If the Fund’s net investment income and net realized capital gains for any year exceed the amount distributed under the distribution policy, the Fund may, in its discretion, retain and not distribute net realized capital gains and pay income tax thereon to the extent of such excess.

 

 

 First Quarter Report (Unaudited) | March 31, 2014

 


 Top 20 Holdings & Economic Sectors

   Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund 
 March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)   

 

Top 20 Holdings*    Percent of Net Assets

Cerner Corp.

   2.03%

Dril-Quip, Inc.

   2.03  

Signature Bank

   1.75  

Google, Inc., Class A

   1.68  

Splunk, Inc.

   1.67  

athenahealth, Inc.

   1.66  

Salesforce.com, Inc.

   1.63  

ARM Holdings PLC

   1.50  

Amazon.com, Inc.

   1.50  

LinkedIn Corp., Class A

   1.46  

American Tower Corp.

   1.37  

Schlumberger Ltd.

   1.37  

The Ultimate Software Group, Inc.

   1.34  

Visa, Inc., Class A

   1.33  

Waste Connections, Inc.

   1.27  

Precision Castparts Corp.

   1.26  

Starbucks Corp.

   1.26  

Insulet Corp.

   1.21  

priceline.com, Inc.

   1.21  

IHS, Inc., Class A

   1.19  

 

   29.72%
Economic Sectors*    Percent of Net Assets

Information Technology

   25.11%

Industrials

   15.85  

Consumer Discretionary

   15.35  

Financials

   13.92  

Health Care

   12.73  

Energy

   6.67

Consumer Staples

   5.49

Materials

   1.13

Telecommunication Services

   0.32

Other Net Assets

   3.43

 

   100.00%

 

 

*

Because the Fund is actively managed, there can be no guarantee that the Fund will continue to hold securities of the indicated issuers and sectors in the future.

 

 

 4

  www.all-starfunds.com 


 Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund

   Major Stock Changes in the Quarter 
  

 

March 31, 2014 (Unaudited) 

 

The following are the major ($500,000) stock changes - both purchases and sales - that were made in the Fund’s portfolio during the first quarter of 2014.

 

     Shares  
Security Name    Purchases (Sales)     Held as of 3/31/14  

Purchases

    

Dorman Products, Inc.

     10,732        10,732   

Evercore Partners, Inc.

     12,466        12,466   

Santander Consumer USA Holdings, Inc.

     26,800        26,800   

ServiceNow, Inc.

     8,550        22,250   

XPO Logistics, Inc.

     21,133        21,133   
Sales     

ACE Ltd.

     (7,450     16,500   

AGCO Corp.

     (10,550     0   

Echo Global Logistics, Inc.

     (36,941     0   

National-Oilwell Varco, Inc.

     (7,850     0   

NetSuite, Inc.

     (6,200     0   

Nordson Corp.

     (8,300     0   

Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc.

     (9,883     2,340   

Praxair, Inc.

     (9,625     0   

TransDigm Group, Inc.

     (6,621     0   

Under Armour, Inc.

     (13,282     11,600   

Zoetis, Inc.

     (22,265     0   

 

 

 First Quarter Report (Unaudited) | March 31, 2014

 


 Investment Managers/

 Portfolio Characteristics

   Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund 
 March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)   

 

THE FUND’S THREE GROWTH INVESTMENT MANAGERS AND THE MARKET CAPITALIZATION ON WHICH EACH FOCUSES:

 

LOGO

MANAGERS’ DIFFERING INVESTMENT STRATEGIES ARE REFLECTED IN PORTFOLIO CHARACTERISTICS

 

The portfolio characteristics table below is a regular feature of the Fund’s shareholder reports. It serves as a useful tool for understanding the value of the Fund’s multi-managed portfolio. The characteristics are different for each of the Fund’s three investment managers. These differences are a reflection of the fact that each has a different capitalization focus and investment strategy. The shaded column highlights the characteristics of the Fund as a whole, while the first three columns show portfolio characteristics for the Russell Smallcap, Midcap and Largecap Growth indices. See page 18 for a description of these indices.

PORTFOLIO CHARACTERISTICS As of March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)

 

 

          Market Capitalization Spectrum     
          Small    LOGO    Large     
     RUSSELL GROWTH                    
     SMALLCAP
INDEX
   MIDCAP
INDEX
   LARGECAP
INDEX
   WEATHERBIE   

TCW

(MID-CAP)

   TCW
(LARGE-CAP)
   TOTAL
FUND

Number of Holdings

   1,156    502    626    57    56    33    131*

Weighted Average Market

Capitalization (billions)

   $2.1    $12.6    $98.2    $2.8    $10.3    $59.3    $23.7

Average Five-Year Sales

Per Share Growth

   15%    16%    14%    15%    20%    13%    16%

Average Five-Year Earnings

Per Share Growth

   9%    10%    12%    14%    11%    16%    14%

Price/Earnings Ratio**

   27x    24x    21x    32x    27x    34x    31x

Price/Book Value Ratio

   4.0x    4.5x    4.5x    4.0x    5.0x    5.2x    4.6x

 

*

Certain holdings are held by more than one manager.

**

Excludes negative earnings.

 

 

 6

  www.all-starfunds.com 


 Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund

   Schedule of Investments 
  

 

As of March 31, 2014 (Unaudited) 

 

     SHARES      MARKET VALUE  

COMMON STOCKS (96.57%)

     

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY (15.35%)

     

Auto Components (1.08%)

     

 BorgWarner, Inc.

     13,800      $ 848,286  

 Dorman Products, Inc.(a)

     10,732        633,832  
     

 

 

 
        1,482,118  
     

 

 

 

Diversified Consumer Services (0.30%)

     

 Ascent Capital Group, Inc., Class A(a)

     5,432        410,388  
     

 

 

 

Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure (3.33%)

     

 Arcos Dorados Holdings, Inc., Class A

     75,150        757,512  

 Chuy’s Holdings, Inc.(a)

     13,643         588,559  

 Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc.(a)

     30,175        671,092  

 Starbucks Corp.

     23,585        1,730,667  

 Wynn Resorts Ltd.

     3,800        844,170  
     

 

 

 
        4,592,000  
     

 

 

 

Internet & Catalog Retail (3.25%)

     

 Amazon.com, Inc.(a)

     6,120        2,059,502  

 priceline.com, Inc.(a)

     1,395        1,662,687  

 RetailMeNot, Inc.(a)

     23,456        750,592  
     

 

 

 
        4,472,781  
     

 

 

 

Leisure Equipment & Products (0.95%)

     

 Black Diamond, Inc.(a)

     28,380        347,087  

 Polaris Industries, Inc.

     6,900        963,999  
     

 

 

 
        1,311,086  
     

 

 

 

Media (0.55%)

     

 Discovery Communications, Inc., Class A(a)

     9,200        760,840  
     

 

 

 

Specialty Retail (3.13%)

     

 CarMax, Inc.(a)

     8,150        381,420  

 Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.

     15,950        871,030  

 DSW, Inc., Class A

     20,700        742,302  

 Francesca’s Holdings Corp.(a)

     62,989        1,142,620  

 Tiffany & Co.

     13,555        1,167,763  
     

 

 

 
        4,305,135  
     

 

 

 

Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods (2.76%)

     

 Deckers Outdoor Corp.(a)

     18,817        1,500,280  

 Kate Spade & Co.(a)

     26,000        964,340  

 Under Armour, Inc., Class A(a)

     11,600        1,329,824  
     

 

 

 
        3,794,444  
     

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES (5.49%)

     

Beverages (1.77%)

     

 The Boston Beer Co. Inc., Class A(a)

     2,700        660,771  

 Constellation Brands, Inc., Class A(a)

     8,500        722,245  

 

 See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 First Quarter Report (Unaudited) | March 31, 2014

 


 Schedule of Investments

   Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund 
 As of March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)   

 

     SHARES      MARKET VALUE  

COMMON STOCKS (continued)

     

Beverages (continued)

     

 Monster Beverage Corp.(a)

     15,200      $ 1,055,640  
     

 

 

 
        2,438,656  
     

 

 

 

Food & Staples Retailing (2.00%)

     

 Costco Wholesale Corp.

     8,705        972,175  

 The Fresh Market, Inc.(a)

     18,047        606,379  

 PriceSmart, Inc.

     7,154        722,053  

 Whole Foods Market, Inc.

     8,865        449,544  
     

 

 

 
        2,750,151  
     

 

 

 

Food Products (1.72%)

     

 The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.(a)

     13,450        1,230,272  

 Mead Johnson Nutrition Co.

     13,630        1,133,198  
     

 

 

 
        2,363,470  
     

 

 

 

ENERGY (6.67%)

     

Energy Equipment & Services (6.44%)

     

 Core Laboratories N.V.

     7,506        1,489,491  

 Dril-Quip, Inc.(a)

     24,880        2,789,048  

 Frank’s International N.V.

     15,530         384,833  

 Geospace Technologies Corp.(a)

     11,853        784,313  

 Oceaneering International, Inc.

     21,435        1,540,319  

 Schlumberger Ltd.

     19,300        1,881,750  
     

 

 

 
        8,869,754  
     

 

 

 

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels (0.23%)

     

 RSP Permian, Inc.(a)

     11,100        320,679  
     

 

 

 

FINANCIALS (13.92%)

     

Capital Markets (3.82%)

     

 The Charles Schwab Corp.

     33,550        916,922  

 Evercore Partners, Inc.

     12,466        688,746  

 Financial Engines, Inc.

     14,044        713,154  

 FXCM, Inc., Class A

     34,050        502,919  

 T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

     12,400        1,021,140  

 Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.(a)

     8,183        1,417,050  
     

 

 

 
        5,259,931  
     

 

 

 

Commercial Banks (1.75%)

     

 Signature Bank(a)

     19,213        2,412,961  
     

 

 

 

Consumer Finance (1.81%)

     

 Santander Consumer USA Holdings, Inc.(a)

     26,800        645,344  

 Visa, Inc., Class A

     8,515        1,838,048  
     

 

 

 
        2,483,392  
     

 

 

 

Diversified Financial Services (0.59%)

     

MarketAxess Holdings, Inc.

     11,500        681,030  

 

 See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 8

  www.all-starfunds.com 


 Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund

   Schedule of Investments 
  

 

As of March 31, 2014 (Unaudited) 

 

     SHARES      MARKET VALUE  

COMMON STOCKS (continued)

     

Diversified Financial Services (continued)

     

 Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc.(a)

     2,340      $ 135,392  
     

 

 

 
        816,422  
     

 

 

 
     

Insurance (2.51%)

     

 ACE Ltd.

     16,500        1,634,490  

 Greenlight Capital Re Ltd., Class A(a)

     41,379        1,357,231  

 Third Point Reinsurance Ltd.(a)

     29,243        463,502  
     

 

 

 
        3,455,223  
     

 

 

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (1.37%)

     

 American Tower Corp.

     23,050        1,887,103  
     

 

 

 

Real Estate Management & Development (0.91%)

     

 FirstService Corp.

     20,582        977,851  

 Zillow, Inc., Class A(a)

     3,174        279,629  
     

 

 

 
        1,257,480  
     

 

 

 

Thrifts & Mortgage Finance (1.16%)

     

 BofI Holding, Inc.(a)

     18,545        1,590,234  
     

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE (12.73%)

     

Biotechnology (3.11%)

     

 BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc.(a)

     23,905        1,630,560  

 Celgene Corp.(a)

     8,375        1,169,150  

 Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a)

     950        313,300  

 Puma Biotechnology, Inc.(a)

     11,284         1,175,116  
     

 

 

 
        4,288,126  
     

 

 

 

Health Care Equipment & Supplies (2.62%)

     

 Insulet Corp.(a)

     35,239        1,671,033  

 Intuitive Surgical, Inc.(a)

     3,200        1,401,568  

 Masimo Corp.(a)

     19,526        533,255  
     

 

 

 
        3,605,856  
     

 

 

 

Health Care Providers & Services (1.52%)

     

 ExamWorks Group, Inc.(a)

     40,981        1,434,745  

 MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc.(a)

     1,552        241,522  

 Premier, Inc., Class A(a)

     12,710        418,795  
     

 

 

 
        2,095,062  
     

 

 

 

Health Care Technology (3.69%)

     

 athenahealth, Inc.(a)

     14,248        2,283,100  

 Cerner Corp.(a)

     49,630        2,791,687  
     

 

 

 
        5,074,787  
     

 

 

 

Life Sciences Tools & Services (0.89%)

     

 Illumina, Inc.(a)

     8,250        1,226,445  
     

 

 

 

 

 

 See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 First Quarter Report (Unaudited) | March 31, 2014

 


 Schedule of Investments

   Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund 
 As of March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)   

 

     SHARES      MARKET VALUE  

COMMON STOCKS (continued)

     

Pharmaceuticals (0.90%)

     

 Allergan, Inc.

     9,990      $ 1,239,759  
     

 

 

 

 INDUSTRIALS (15.85%)

     

Aerospace & Defense (2.25%)

     

 B/E Aerospace, Inc.(a)

     10,800        937,332  

 HEICO Corp.

     7,135        429,242  

 Precision Castparts Corp.

     6,850        1,731,406  
     

 

 

 
        3,097,980  
     

 

 

 

Air Freight & Logistics (0.45%)

     

 XPO Logistics, Inc.(a)

     21,133        621,522  
     

 

 

 

Commercial Services & Supplies (2.13%)

     

 The Advisory Board Co.(a)

     18,572        1,193,251  

 Waste Connections, Inc.

     39,776        1,744,575  
     

 

 

 
        2,937,826  
     

 

 

 

Electrical Equipment (0.87%)

     

 AMETEK, Inc.

     9,500        489,155  

 Rockwell Automation, Inc.

     5,700        709,935  
     

 

 

 
        1,199,090  
     

 

 

 

Machinery (4.67%)

     

 Cummins, Inc.

     6,350        946,086  

 Graco, Inc.

     19,228        1,437,101  

 Middleby Corp.(a)

     5,481        1,448,135  

 Proto Labs, Inc.(a)

     1,873        126,746  

 Rexnord Corp.(a)

     20,756        601,509  

 WABCO Holdings, Inc.(a)

     10,050        1,060,878  

 Wabtec Corp.

     10,450        809,875  
     

 

 

 
        6,430,330  
     

 

 

 

Professional Services (3.48%)

     

 Huron Consulting Group, Inc.(a)

     9,080        575,490  

 IHS, Inc., Class A(a)

     13,527        1,643,531  

 Paylocity Holding Corp.(a)

     14,522         349,254  

 Stantec, Inc.

     7,668        468,361  

 TriNet Group, Inc.(a)

     9,263        197,395  

 Verisk Analytics, Inc., Class A(a)

     18,400        1,103,264  

 WageWorks, Inc.(a)

     8,060        452,247  
     

 

 

 
        4,789,542  
     

 

 

 

Road & Rail (0.74%)

     

 Kansas City Southern

     5,550        566,433  

 Landstar System, Inc.

     7,515        445,038  
     

 

 

 
        1,011,471  
     

 

 

 

Trading Companies & Distributors (1.26%)

     

 Fastenal Co.

     19,270        950,396  

 

 

 See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 10

  www.all-starfunds.com 


 Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund

   Schedule of Investments 
  

 

As of March 31, 2014 (Unaudited) 

 

     SHARES      MARKET VALUE  

COMMON STOCKS (continued)

     

Trading Companies & Distributors (continued)

     

 MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc., Class A

     9,100      $ 787,332  
     

 

 

 
        1,737,728  
     

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (25.11%)

     

Communications Equipment (1.88%)

     

 InterDigital, Inc.

     12,247        405,498  

 QUALCOMM, Inc.

     19,520        1,539,347  

 ViaSat, Inc.(a)

     9,350        645,524  
     

 

 

 
        2,590,369  
     

 

 

 

Electronic Equipment & Instruments (1.38%)

     

 FARO Technologies, Inc.(a)

     8,642        458,026  

 FEI Co.

     7,800        803,556  

 IPG Photonics Corp.(a)

     9,096         646,544  
     

 

 

 
        1,908,126  
     

 

 

 

Internet Software & Services (7.66%)

     

 Envestnet, Inc.(a)

     36,248        1,456,445  

 Equinix, Inc.(a)

     7,135        1,318,833  

 Google, Inc., Class A(a)

     2,078        2,315,952  

 LinkedIn Corp., Class A(a)

     10,845        2,005,674  

 Liquidity Services, Inc.(a)

     37,641        980,548  

 SPS Commerce, Inc.(a)

     10,118        621,751  

 Stamps.com, Inc.(a)

     17,182        576,628  

 Textura Corp.(a)

     15,368        387,427  

 Twitter, Inc.(a)

     18,950        884,397  
     

 

 

 
        10,547,655  
     

 

 

 

IT Services (1.34%)

     

 ServiceSource International, Inc.(a)

     39,211        330,941  

 VeriFone Systems, Inc.(a)

     44,607        1,508,608  
     

 

 

 
        1,839,549  
     

 

 

 

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment (1.98%)

     

 ARM Holdings PLC(b)

     40,522        2,065,406  

 NVIDIA Corp.

     36,950        661,775  
     

 

 

 
        2,727,181  
     

 

 

 

Software (10.87%)

     

 ANSYS, Inc.(a)

     12,300        947,346  

 Concur Technologies, Inc.(a)

     4,648        460,478  

 FireEye, Inc.(a)

     9,200        566,444  

 FleetMatics Group PLC(a)

     20,785        695,258  

 RealPage, Inc.(a)

     42,831        777,811  

 Salesforce.com, Inc.(a)

     39,370        2,247,633  

 ServiceNow, Inc.(a)

     22,250        1,333,220  

 Solera Holdings, Inc.

     20,974        1,328,493  

 Splunk, Inc.(a)

     32,117        2,296,044  

 The Ultimate Software Group, Inc.(a)

     13,470         1,845,390  

 

 See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 First Quarter Report (Unaudited) | March 31, 2014

  11 


 Schedule of Investments

   Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund 
 As of March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)   

 

     SHARES      MARKET VALUE  

COMMON STOCKS (continued)

     

Software (continued)

     

 Varonis Systems, Inc.(a)

     5,592       $ 199,970   

 VMware, Inc., Class A(a)

     11,050         1,193,621   

 Workday, Inc., Class A(a)

     11,750         1,074,303   
     

 

 

 
        14,966,011   
     

 

 

 

MATERIALS (1.13%)

     

Metals & Mining (1.13%)

     

 Allegheny Technologies, Inc.

     28,750         1,083,300   

 Silver Wheaton Corp.

     21,005         476,814   
     

 

 

 
        1,560,114   
     

 

 

 

TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES (0.32%)

     

Diversified Telecommunication (0.32%)

     

 inContact, Inc.(a)

     45,737         439,075   
     

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCKS

(COST OF $90,455,180)

        132,967,852   
     

 

 

 
     PAR VALUE         

SHORT TERM INVESTMENT (2.08%)

     

REPURCHASE AGREEMENT (2.08%)

     

Repurchase agreement with State Street Bank & Trust Co., dated 3/31/14, due 04/01/14 at 0.01%, collateralized by Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 3.00%, 03/15/43, market value of $2,935,899 and par value of $3,245,000. (Repurchase proceeds of $2,866,001).

(COST OF $2,866,000)

   $ 2,866,000       $ 2,866,000   
     

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS (98.65%)
(COST OF $93,321,180)(c)

        135,833,852   

OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF LIABILITIES (1.35%)

        1,862,264   
     

 

 

 

NET ASSETS (100.00%)

      $ 137,696,116   
     

 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE
(23,837,914 SHARES OUTSTANDING)

      $ 5.78   
     

 

 

 

 

(a)

Non-income producing security.

(b)

American Depositary Receipt.

(c)

Cost of investments for federal income tax purposes is $93,787,137.

 

 See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 12

  www.all-starfunds.com 


 Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund

   Schedule of Investments 
  

 

As of March 31, 2014 (Unaudited) 

 

Gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation at March 31, 2014 based on cost of  investments for federal income tax purposes is as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 44,525,392  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (2,478,677 )

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 42,046,715  

 

 

For Fund compliance purposes, the Fund’s industry classifications refer to any one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or ratings group indexes, and/or as defined by Fund management. This definition may not apply for purposes of this report, which may combine industry sub-classifications for reporting ease. Industries are shown as a percent of net assets.

 

 See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 First Quarter Report (Unaudited) | March 31, 2014

  13 


 Notes to Schedule of Investments 

    Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund 
 March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)   

 

Security Valuation

Equity securities including common stocks and exchange traded funds are valued at the last sale price at the close of the principal exchange on which they trade, except for securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (“NASDAQ”), which are valued at the NASDAQ official closing price. Unlisted securities or listed securities for which there were no sales during the day are valued at the closing bid price on such exchanges or over-the-counter markets.

Short-term debt obligations maturing in more than 60 days for which market quotations are readily available are valued at current market value. Short-term debt obligations maturing within 60 days are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value.

Repurchase agreements are valued at cost, which approximates fair value. Investments for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith under consistently applied procedures approved by and under the general supervision of the Fund’s Board of Directors.

Foreign Securities

The Fund may directly purchase securities of foreign issuers. Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. The risks include possible devaluation of currencies, the inability to repatriate foreign currency, less complete financial information about companies and possible future adverse political and economic developments. Moreover, securities of many foreign issuers and their markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than those of securities of comparable U.S. issuers. For the period ended March 31, 2014, the Fund only held American Depositary Receipts and did not hold any securities denominated in foreign currencies.

Security Transactions

Security transactions are recorded on trade date. Cost is determined and gains/(losses) are based upon the specific identification method for both financial statement and federal income tax purposes.

Repurchase Agreements

The Fund engages in repurchase agreement transactions with institutions that the Fund’s investment advisor has determined are creditworthy. The Fund, through its custodian, receives delivery of underlying securities collateralizing a repurchase agreement, including interest. Collateral is at least equal, at all times, to the value of the repurchase obligation including interest. A repurchase agreement transaction involves certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the counterparty. These risks include possible delays or restrictions upon a Fund’s ability to dispose of the underlying securities and a possible decline in the value of the underlying securities during the period while the Fund seeks to assert its rights. These collateral agreements mitigate the counterparty credit risk by providing for a single net settlement with a counterparty of all financial transactions covered by the agreement in an event of default as defined under such agreement.

Repurchase agreements are entered into by the Fund under a Master Repurchase Agreement (“MRA”) which permits the Fund, under certain circumstances, including an event of default (such as bankruptcy or insolvency), to offset payables and/or receivables under the MRA with collateral held and/or posted to the counterparty and create one single net payment due or from the Fund.

 

 

 14

  www.all-starfunds.com 


 Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund

   Notes to Schedule of Investments 
  

March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)

 

 

Income Recognition

Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Premiums and discounts are amortized and accreted, respectively, on all debt securities. Corporate actions and dividend income are recorded on the ex-date.

The Fund estimates components of distributions from real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). Distributions received in excess of income are recorded as a reduction of the cost of the related investments. Once the REIT reports annually the tax character of its distributions, the Fund revises its estimates. If the Fund no longer owns the applicable securities, any distributions received in excess of income are recorded as realized gains.

Fair Value Measurements

The Fund discloses the classification of its fair value measurements following a three-tier hierarchy based on the inputs used to measure fair value. Inputs refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk. Inputs may be observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability that are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability that are developed based on the best information available.

Valuation techniques used to value the Fund’s investments by major category are as follows:

Equity securities and exchange-traded funds, for which market quotations are readily available, are valued at the last reported sale price or official closing price as reported by a third party pricing vendor on the primary market or exchange on which they are traded and are categorized as Level 1 in the hierarchy. In the event there were no sales during the day or closing prices are not available, securities are valued at the mean of the most recent quoted bid and ask prices on such day and are generally categorized as Level 2 in the hierarchy. Repurchase agreements are valued at cost, which approximates fair value, and are categorized as Level 2 in the hierarchy.

Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments as of the end of the reporting period. When inputs used fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy, the level in the hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The designated input levels are not necessarily an indication of the risk or liquidity associated with these investments.

These inputs are categorized in the following hierarchy under applicable financial accounting standards:

 

Level 1 –  

Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical investments, unrestricted assets or liabilities that a Fund has the ability to access at the measurement date;

Level 2 –  

Quoted prices which are not active, quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or inputs other than quoted prices that are observable (either directly or indirectly) for substantially the full term of the asset or liability; and

 

 

 First Quarter Report (Unaudited) | March 31, 2014

  15 


 Notes to Schedule of Investments

   Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund 
March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)   

 

Level 3 –  

Significant unobservable prices or inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments) where there is little or no market activity for the asset or liability at the measurement date.

The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of March 31, 2014. The Fund recognizes transfers between the levels as of the beginning of the annual period in which the transfer occurred.

 

     Valuation Inputs         

Investments in Securities at

Value*

   Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Common Stocks

   $ 132,967,852       $       $   –       $   132,967,852   

Short Term Investment

             2,866,000                 2,866,000   

Total

   $   132,967,852       $   2,866,000       $       $   135,833,852   
   

 

*

 See Schedule of Investments for industry classifications.

For the period ended March 31, 2014, the Fund did not have any transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 securities. The Fund did not have any securities which used significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) in determining fair value during the period.

Indemnification

In the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations and warranties and which provide general indemnities. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims against the Fund. Also, under the Fund’s organizational documents and by contract, the Directors and Officers of the Fund are indemnified against certain liabilities that may arise out of their duties to the Fund. However, based on experience, the Fund expects the risk of loss due to these warranties and indemnities to be minimal.

Maryland Statutes

By resolution of the Board of Directors, the Fund has opted into the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act and the Maryland Business Combination Act. In general, the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act provides that “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a control share acquisition may not be voted except to the extent approved by shareholders at a meeting by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter (excluding shares owned by the acquirer and by officers or directors who are employees of the corporation). “Control shares” are voting shares of stock which, if aggregated with all other shares of stock owned by the acquirer or in respect of which the acquirer is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within certain statutorily defined ranges (one-tenth but less than one-third, one-third but less than a majority, and more than a majority of the voting power). In general, the Maryland Business Combination Act prohibits an interested shareholder (a shareholder that holds 10% or more of the voting power of the outstanding stock of the corporation) of a Maryland corporation from engaging in a business combination (generally defined to include a merger, consolidation, share exchange, sale of a substantial amount of assets, a transfer of the corporation’s securities and similar transactions to or with the interested shareholder or an entity

 

 

 16

  www.all-starfunds.com 


 Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund

   Notes to Schedule of Investments 
  

 

March 31, 2014 (Unaudited) 

 

affiliated with the interested shareholder) with the corporation for a period of five years after the most recent date on which the interested shareholder became an interested shareholder. At the time of adoption, March 19, 2009, the Board and the Fund were not aware of any shareholder that held control shares or that was an interested shareholder under the statutes.

 

 

 First Quarter Report (Unaudited) | March 31, 2014

  17 


 Description of Lipper Benchmark

 And Market Indices

   Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund 
 March 31, 2014 (Unaudited)   

 

Dow Jones Industrial Average

A price-weighted measure of 30 U.S. blue-chip companies.

Lipper Multi-Cap Growth Mutual Fund Average

The average of funds that, by portfolio practice, invest in a variety of market capitalization ranges without concentrating 75% of their equity assets in any one market capitalization range over an extended period of time. Multi-Cap growth funds typically have an above-average price-to-earnings ratio, price-to-book ratio, and three-year sales-per-share growth value, compared to the S&P SuperComposite 1500® Index.

NASDAQ Composite Index

Measures all NASDAQ domestic and international based common type stocks listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market.

Russell 3000® Growth Index

Measures the performance of those Russell 3000® companies with higher price-to-book-ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Index measures the performance of the 3,000 largest U.S. companies based on total market capitalization, which represents approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market.

Russell 1000® Growth Index (Largecap)

Measures the performance of those Russell 1000® companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 1000® Index measures the performance of the 1,000 largest companies in the Russell 3000® Index.

Russell Midcap® Growth Index

Measures the performance of those Russell Midcap® companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell Midcap® Index measures the performance of the 800 smallest companies in the Russell 1000® Index.

Russell 2000® Growth Index (Smallcap)

Measures the performance of those Russell 2000® companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000® Index.

S&P 500® Index

A large cap U.S. equities index that includes 500 leading companies and captures approximately 80% coverage of available market capitalization.

An investor cannot invest directly in an index.

 

 

 18

  www.all-starfunds.com 


 

 

LOGO     

LOGO

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR    LEGAL COUNSEL   

ALPS Advisors, Inc.

  

K&L Gates LLP

  

1290 Broadway, Suite 1100

  

1601 K Street, NW

  

Denver, Colorado 80203

  

Washington, DC 20006

  

303-623-2577

www.all-starfunds.com

   DIRECTORS   
  

John A. Benning*

  
  

Thomas W. Brock*

  
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED   

Edmund J. Burke

  
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM   

George R. Gaspari*

  

Deloitte & Touche LLP

  

Richard W. Lowry*, Chairman

  

555 Seventeenth Street, Suite 3600

  

Dr. John J. Neuhauser*

  

Denver, Colorado 80202

  

Richard C. Rantzow*

  
CUSTODIAN    OFFICERS   

State Street Bank & Trust Company

  

William R. Parmentier, Jr., President

One Lincoln Street

  

Mark T. Haley, CFA, Senior Vice President

Boston, Massachusetts 02111

  

Edmund J. Burke, Vice President

  

Kimberly R. Storms, Treasurer

  

Erin D. Nelson, Secretary

INVESTOR ASSISTANCE,   

Alex J. Marks, Assistant Secretary

TRANSFER & DIVIDEND   

Melanie H. Zimdars, Chief Compliance Officer

DISBURSING AGENT & REGISTRAR   

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

  

* Member of the Audit Committee

  

P.O. Box 30170

     

College Station, Texas 77842-3170

     

1-800-LIB-FUND (1-800-542-3863)

www.computershare.com

  

A description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures is available (i) on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) website at www.sec.gov, and (ii) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-542-3863. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30th is available from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

The Fund files a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Fund’s Form N-Q’s are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 23(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 that the Fund may purchase at market prices from time to time shares of its own common stock in the open market.

This report is transmitted to shareholders of Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund for their information. It is not a prospectus or other document intended for use in the purchase of Fund shares.

LAS000591 11/30/14

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  LOGO    LOGO