UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 

FORM N-Q

QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY

_______________________________

Investment Company Act file number: 811-04632

The European Equity Fund, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

345 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10154-0004

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

Diane Kenneally

One International Place

Boston, MA 02110

(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (212) 250-2500

Date of fiscal year end: 12/31

Date of reporting period: 9/30/2018

 

ITEM 1. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

 

The European Equity Fund, Inc.

 

Schedule of Investments                                    as of September 30, 2018 (Unaudited)

 

 

 

  Shares Value ($)
Common Stocks  99.5%
Germany  18.5%
Capital Markets 3.2%    
Deutsche Boerse AG 20,000 2,680,511
     
Chemicals 2.0%    
Evonik Industries AG 48,000 1,719,801
     
Health Care Equipment & Supplies 2.5%    
Siemens Healthineers AG 144A* 48,000 2,111,425
     
Health Care Providers & Services 1.9%    
Fresenius SE & Co KGaA 22,000 1,615,833
     
Insurance 2.4%    
Allianz SE (Registered) 9,000 2,006,899
     
Internet & Direct Marketing Retail 0.4%    
Zalando SE 144A* 8,000 311,348
     
Personal Products 2.9%    
Beiersdorf AG 22,000 2,483,027
     
Software 3.2%    
SAP SE 22,000 2,708,385
Total Germany (Cost $13,743,404)   15,637,229
     
Sweden  14.1%
Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components 2.0%    
Hexagon AB "B" 29,000 1,698,347
     
Household Products 3.0%    
Essity AB "B" 100,000 2,511,156
     
Machinery 6.7%    
Alfa Laval AB 76,000 2,058,834
SKF AB "B" 105,000 2,069,596
Volvo AB "B" 88,000 1,553,994
    5,682,424
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels 2.4%    
Lundin Petroleum AB 52,000 1,988,512
Total Sweden (Cost $10,329,241)   11,880,439
     
Switzerland  13.6%
Building Products 2.2%    
Geberit AG (Registered) 4,000 1,863,855
     
Capital Markets 2.7%    
Partners Group Holding AG 2,841 2,264,017
     
Chemicals 2.1%    
Sika AG (Registered) 12,000 1,755,349
     
Insurance 1.5%    
Baloise Holding AG (Registered) 8,168 1,251,663
     
Life Sciences Tools & Services 3.1%    
Lonza Group AG (Registered)* 7,700 2,640,495
     
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals 2.0%    
Logitech International SA (Registered) 38,000 1,706,091
Total Switzerland (Cost $8,183,060)   11,481,470
     

  Shares Value ($)
France  12.9%
Aerospace & Defense 2.7%    
Thales SA 16,000 2,273,557
     
Commercial Services & Supplies 1.4%    
Edenred 30,000 1,143,863
     
Construction & Engineering 2.0%    
Bouygues SA 40,000 1,729,557
     
Health Care Equipment & Supplies 5.8%    
BioMerieux 23,000 1,917,936
Essilor International Cie Generale d'Optique SA 20,000 2,960,408
    4,878,344
Household Durables 1.0%    
SEB SA 5,000 851,306
Total France (Cost $9,513,536)   10,876,627
     
Netherlands  8.8%
Banks 1.1%    
ING Groep NV 71,000 922,226
     
Beverages 2.8%    
Heineken NV 25,000 2,344,866
     
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels 3.4%    
Royal Dutch Shell PLC "B" 82,000 2,874,853
     
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment 1.5%    
ASML Holding NV 7,000 1,308,085
Total Netherlands (Cost $5,861,712)   7,450,030
     
Denmark  7.8%
Chemicals 2.8%    
Chr Hansen Holding A/S 23,323 2,368,297
     
Electric Utilities 2.8%    
Orsted A/S 144A 35,000 2,378,249
     
Pharmaceuticals 2.2%    
Novo Nordisk A/S "B" 40,000 1,883,848
Total Denmark (Cost $5,519,626)   6,630,394
     
United Kingdom  7.4%
Metals & Mining 2.3%    
Randgold Resources Ltd (ADR) 27,000 1,918,542
     
Multiline Retail 1.4%    
B&M European Value Retail SA 238,769 1,204,135
     
Trading Companies & Distributors 1.9%    
Ashtead Group PLC 50,000 1,588,680
     
Wireless Telecommunication Services 1.8%    
Vodafone Group PLC 700,000 1,501,326
Total United Kingdom (Cost $7,183,720)   6,212,683
     
Ireland  5.3%
Containers & Packaging 2.3%    
Smurfit Kappa Group PLC 50,000 1,977,864
     
Food Products 3.0%    
Kerry Group PLC "A" 23,000 2,538,995
Total Ireland (Cost $4,051,599)   4,516,859
     
Italy  3.7%
Banks 1.8%    
Intesa Sanpaolo SpA 600,000 1,533,745
     
Diversified Telecommunication Services 1.9%    
Telecom Italia SpA* 2,650,000 1,609,642
Total Italy (Cost $4,324,530)   3,143,387
  Shares Value ($)
Belgium 2.9%
Banks 2.9%    
KBC Group NV (Cost $1,908,100) 33,000 2,456,710
     
Spain  2.4%
Banks 0.2%    
Bankinter SA 20,000 184,245
     
Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure 2.2%    
NH Hotel Group SA 248,000 1,810,251
Total Spain (Cost $1,986,925)   1,994,496
     
Finland 2.1%
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels 2.1%    
Neste OYJ (Cost $1,636,751) 21,000 1,736,525
Total Common Stocks (Cost $74,242,204)   84,016,849
     
     
  Contracts Value ($)
Put Options Purchased 0.2%
Exchange-Traded Index Options Contracts

Deutsche Boerse AG German Stock Index, Expiration Date

12/21/2018, Strike Price EUR 10,000, Notional Amount

EUR 65,000,000 (Cost $431,898)

1,300 169,855
     
  Shares Value ($)
Cash Equivalents  0.2%
DWS Central Cash Management Government Fund, 2.03% (Cost $185,436) (a) 185,436 185,436
     
     
  % of Net  
  Assets Value ($)
Total Investment Portfolio (Cost $74,859,538) 99.9 84,372,140
Other Assets and Liabilities, Net 0.1 72,507
Net Assets 100.0 84,444,647
 

 

 

A summary of the Fund’s transactions with affiliated investments during the period ended September 30, 2018 are as follows:

Value ($)
at
12/31/2017
Purchases
Cost
($)
Sales
Proceeds
($)
Net
Realized
Gain/
(Loss)
($)
Net
Change in
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
($)
Income
($)
Capital
Gain
Distributions
($)
Number
of shares
at
9/30/2018
Value ($)
at
9/30/2018
Securities Lending Collateral 0.0%
DWS Government & Agency Securities Portfolio “DWS Government Cash Institutional Shares”, 1.89% (a) (b)
- 20,602,287 20,602,287 - -    17,669 - - -
Cash Equivalents 0.2%
DWS Central Cash Management Government Fund, 2.03% (a)
271,114 19,247,318 19,332,996 - - 19,074 - 185,436 185,436
271,114 39,849,605 39,935,283 - - 36,743 - 185,436 185,436

 

 

For information on the Fund’s policies regarding the valuation of investments and other significant accounting policies, please refer to the Fund’s most recent semi-annual or annual financial statements.

 

*     Non-income producing security.
(a)     Affiliated fund managed by DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. The rate shown is the annualized seven-day yield at period end.
(b)     Represents collateral held in connection with securities lending. Income earned by the Fund is net of borrower rebates.
144A :   Securities exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers.
ADR :   American Depositary Receipt

 

 

 

 

For purposes of its industry concentration policy, the Fund classifies issuers of portfolio securities at the industry sub-group level.  Certain of the categories in the above Schedule of Investments consist of multiple industry sub-groups or industries.
 

 

 

 

Fair Value Measurements
 
Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized in three broad levels. Level 1 includes quoted prices in active markets for identical securities. Level 2 includes other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds and credit risk). Level 3 includes significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments). The level assigned to the securities valuations may not be an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
 
The following is a summary of the inputs used as of September 30, 2018 in valuing the Fund’s investments.
             
Assets  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3  Total
  Common Stocks (c)                    
Germany  $15,637,229   $—     $—     $15,637,229 
Sweden   11,880,439    —      —      11,880,439 
Switzerland   11,481,470    —      —      11,481,470 
France   10,876,627    —      —      10,876,627 
Netherlands   7,450,030    —      —      7,450,030 
Denmark   6,630,394    —      —      6,630,394 
United Kingdom   6,212,683    —      —      6,212,683 
Ireland   4,516,859    —      —      4,516,859 
Italy   3,143,387    —      —      3,143,387 
Belgium   2,456,710    —      —      2,456,710 
Spain   1,994,496    —      —      1,994,496 
Finland   1,736,525    —      —      1,736,525 
Short-Term Instruments (c)   185,436    —      —      185,436 
Derivatives (d)                    
Purchased Options   169,855    —      —      169,855 
Total  $84,372,140   $—     $—     $84,372,140 
                     
(c) See Schedule of Investments for additional detailed categorizations.
(d) Derivatives include value of options purchased.

 

 

ITEM 2. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
   
  (a) The Chief Executive and Financial Officers concluded that the Registrant’s Disclosure Controls and Procedures are effective based on the evaluation of the Disclosure Controls and Procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report.
   
  (b) There have been no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting.
   
ITEM 3. EXHIBITS
   
  Certification pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-2(a)) is filed and attached hereto as Exhibit 99.CERT.

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Registrant: The European Equity Fund, Inc.
   
By:

/s/Hepsen Uzcan

Hepsen Uzcan

President

   
Date: 11/23/2018

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

By:

/s/Hepsen Uzcan

Hepsen Uzcan

President

   
Date: 11/23/2018
   
   
   
By:

/s/Diane Kenneally

Diane Kenneally

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

   
Date: 11/23/2018