N-Q 1 d671350dnq.htm ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN FIXED-INCOME SHARES, INC. AllianceBernstein Fixed-Income Shares, Inc.

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM N-Q

QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-06068

ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN FIXED-INCOME SHARES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Joseph J. Mantineo

AllianceBernstein L.P.

1345 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10105

(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (800) 221-5672

Date of fiscal year end: April 30, 2014

Date of reporting period: January 31, 2014

 

 

 


ITEM 1. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS.


AllianceBernstein Fixed-Income Shares, Inc. - Government STIF Portfolio

Portfolio of Investments

January 31, 2014 (unaudited)

 

      Yield*     Principal
Amount
(000)
     U.S. $ Value  

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS - 100.0%

       

U.S. Government & Government Sponsored Agency Obligations - 83.7%

       

Federal Farm Credit Bank

       

2/10/14 (a)

     0.025   $ 57,500       $ 57,499,266   

4/29/14 (a)

     0.060     50,000         50,000,000   

8/26/14 (a)

     0.097     28,000         27,995,624   

4/17/14 (a)

     0.109     9,900         9,900,405   

7/21/14 (a)

     0.117     100,000         100,011,988   

5/05/14 (a)

     0.118     8,000         8,000,446   

5/12/14 (a)

     0.120     8,800         8,800,252   

8/01/14 (a)

     0.129     100,000         100,017,440   

4/16/14 (a)

     0.139     5,600         5,600,510   

7/16/14 (a)

     0.139     5,000         5,000,836   

8/15/14 (a)

     0.140     2,000         2,000,333   

6/06/14 (a)

     0.148     24,000         24,002,530   

2/05/14

     0.150     3,500         3,500,003   

2/24/14 (a)

     0.178     36,560         36,562,659   

3/20/15 (a)

     0.182     2,500         2,500,734   

4/25/14 (a)

     0.210     4,325         4,326,127   

3/24/14 (a)

     0.216     5,000         5,000,408   

2/21/14 (a)

     0.310     61,000         61,007,287   

6/13/14 (a)

     0.330     2,850         2,852,283   

2/27/14

     1.125     7,214         7,218,819   

4/17/14

     2.625     12,054         12,116,182   

Federal Farm Credit Discount Notes

       

2/03/14

     0.020     70,000         70,000,000   

4/02/14

     0.080     50,000         49,993,556   

2/10/14

     0.150     30,000         29,999,125   

Federal Home Loan Bank

       

2/07/14 (a)

     0.036     28,000         27,999,892   

2/03/14 (a)

     0.052     5,500         5,500,000   

3/18/14

     0.060     25,650         25,648,760   

2/03/14 (a)

     0.062     1,750         1,750,000   

6/12/14 (a)

     0.062     2,600         2,599,388   

2/14/14 (a)

     0.068     107,400         107,400,284   

3/17/14

     0.070     150,000         149,998,147   

7/18/14 (a)

     0.082     30,000         29,997,999   

2/18/14 (a)

     0.087     30,000         30,000,293   

8/22/14 (a)

     0.087     115,000         114,986,984   

7/28/14 (a)

     0.089     50,000         49,998,785   

2/12/14 (a)

     0.090     50,000         49,999,878   

2/19/14

     0.090     33,800         33,800,398   

3/12/14 (a)

     0.090     15,000         14,999,701   

11/18/14 (a)

     0.097     50,000         49,997,995   

11/20/14 (a)

     0.097     25,000         24,998,987   

4/25/14 (a)

     0.098     50,000         50,000,000   

8/01/14 (a)

     0.099     50,000         50,000,000   

2/14/14

     0.100     50,000         49,999,889   

4/10/14

     0.100     50,000         49,998,051   

5/15/14 (a)

     0.100     95,000         95,002,920   


      Yield*     Principal
Amount
(000)
     U.S. $ Value  

9/02/14 (a)

     0.103   $ 52,000       $ 51,998,712   

6/05/14 (a)

     0.108     50,000         50,001,208   

6/27/14 (a)

     0.108     75,000         74,998,408   

4/01/14 (a)

     0.109     50,000         50,000,000   

7/15/14 (a)

     0.110     50,000         49,999,940   

7/21/14 (a)

     0.111     85,000         85,000,000   

12/09/14 (a)

     0.117     25,000         25,000,000   

3/28/14

     0.120     2,300         2,300,099   

7/14/14

     0.120     50,000         50,002,090   

3/27/14

     0.125     2,920         2,920,078   

7/29/14

     0.125     2,000         1,999,847   

3/03/14 (a)

     0.128     70,000         70,002,613   

6/17/14 (a)

     0.129     15,000         15,001,770   

4/11/14 (a)

     0.130     35,000         35,003,043   

3/06/14 (a)

     0.138     40,150         40,152,328   

6/25/14 (a)

     0.138     50,000         50,009,039   

4/15/14 (a)

     0.140     100,000         100,011,918   

8/15/14 (a)

     0.140     1,020         1,020,197   

2/24/14 (a)

     0.160     17,000         17,000,911   

6/11/14 (a)

     0.210     10,000         10,004,952   

10/08/14

     0.230     670         670,263   

2/14/14

     0.250     3,900         3,900,208   

6/12/14

     0.375     6,400         6,406,131   

7/02/14

     0.400     15,000         15,018,463   

3/24/14

     1.000     1,500         1,501,796   

3/14/14

     2.375     16,445         16,486,381   

6/13/14

     2.500     9,000         9,077,412   

Federal Home Loan Bank Discount Notes

       

2/18/14

     0.050     4,800         4,799,900   

4/11/14

     0.055     50,000         49,994,882   

4/16/14

     0.060     50,000         49,994,000   

4/21/14

     0.060     100,000         99,987,166   

2/12/14

     0.090     97,750         97,747,801   

4/09/14

     0.090     6,400         6,398,960   

7/16/14

     0.090     25,000         24,989,812   

5/19/14

     0.110     1,500         1,499,519   

2/03/14

     0.150     50,000         50,000,000   

4/04/14

     0.900     114,100         114,083,360   

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.

       

2/07/14

     0.130     50,000         50,000,258   

12/05/14

     0.350     2,900         2,904,088   

5/09/14

     0.540     20,000         20,024,267   

4/29/14

     1.350     1,950         1,955,527   

2/25/14

     1.375     57,025         57,066,173   

2/19/14

     2.175     5,179         5,183,622   

Federal National Mortgage Association

       

2/27/14

     1.250     3,878         3,880,887   

2/24/14

     1.350     2,250         2,251,498   

2/05/14

     2.750     13,603         13,604,938   

3/13/14

     2.750     5,329         5,343,730   

Federal National Mortgage Association Discount Notes

       

2/03/14

     0.100     1,001         1,001,000   

2/03/14

     0.150     25,000         25,000,000   

2/03/14

     0.900     3,300         3,300,000   


      Yield*     Principal
Amount
(000)
     U.S. $ Value  

U.S. Treasury Bill

       

6/12/14

     0.090   $ 50,000       $ 49,983,337   

7/03/14

     0.090     100,000         99,962,500   

5/22/14

     0.100     50,000         49,985,300   

5/29/14

     0.100     50,000         49,983,708   

U.S. Treasury Notes

       

7/31/14

     0.125     50,000         50,005,952   

3/31/14

     0.250     100,000         100,026,805   

4/30/14

     0.250     50,000         50,017,681   

7/15/14

     0.625     100,000         100,239,796   

5/15/14

     1.000     150,000         150,372,874   

4/15/14

     1.250     250,000         250,546,219   

4/30/14

     1.875     50,000         50,216,421   

7/31/14

     2.625     150,000         151,868,912   
       

 

 

 
          4,378,293,864   
       

 

 

 

Repurchase Agreements - 16.3%

       

Bank of America 0.02%, dated 1/28/14 due 2/04/14 in the amount of $100,000,389 (collateralized by $102,108,900 U.S. Treasury Notes 0.375% to 1.00%, due 8/31/15 to 11/30/19, value $102,000,060)

    

    100,000         100,000,000   

Barclays Capital 0.03%, dated 1/22/14 due 2/05/14 in the amount of $150,001,750 (collateralized by $141,678,772 Farm Credit Designated Bond, Federal National Mortgage Association and Resolution Funding Strip, Zero coupon to 5.125% due 9/19/14 to 10/15/29, value $153,000,302)

    

    150,000         150,000,000   

Deutsche Bank 0.02%, dated 1/31/14 due 2/03/14 in the amount of $224,500,374 (collateralized by $229,172,100 U.S. Treasury Bill and U.S. Treasury Notes, Zero coupon to 2.375% due 6/26/14 to 1/31/19, value $228,990,049)

    

    224,500         224,500,000   

HSBC Bank USA 0.01%, dated 1/31/14 due 2/03/14 in the amount of $60,000,050 (collateralized by $56,415,000 U.S. Treasury Notes, 1.50% to 3.625% due 4/30/16 to 8/15/19, value $61,202,028)

   

    60,000         60,000,000   

Mizuho Securities USA 0.02%, dated 1/31/14 due 2/03/14 in the amount of $245,000,408 (collateralized by $248,257,400 Treasury Floating Rate Note and U.S Treasury Notes, Zero coupon to 2.00% due 1/31/16, value $249,900,049)

    

    245,000         245,000,000   

Toronto Dominion Bank 0.03%, dated 1/31/14 due 2/03/14 in the amount of $75,000,188 (collateralized by $76,676,000 Federal Home Discount Note, Federal Home Loan Banks, Farm Credit Floating Rate Note and U.S. Treasury Note, Zero coupon to 0.75% due 7/23/14 to 10/31/17, value $76,500,057)

    

    75,000         75,000,000   
    

 

 

 
       854,500,000   
    

 

 

 


                                                                           
         U.S. $ Value  

Total Investments - 100.0%
(cost $5,232,793,864)

    $ 5,232,793,864   

Other assets less liabilities - 0.0% (b)

      1,884,572   
   

 

 

 

Net Assets - 100.0%

    $ 5,234,678,436   
   

 

 

 

 

(a) Floating Rate Security. Stated interest rate was in effect at January 31, 2014.
(b) As of January 31, 2014, the cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes.
* Represents annualized yield from date of purchase for discount securities, and stated interest rate for interest-bearing securities


AllianceBernstein Fixed-Income Shares, Inc. - Government STIF Portfolio

January 31, 2014 (unaudited)

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The fair value of debt instruments, such as bonds, and over-the-counter derivatives is generally based on market price quotations, recently executed market transactions (where observable) or industry recognized modeling techniques and are generally classified as Level 2. Pricing vendor inputs to Level 2 valuations may include quoted prices for similar investments in active markets, interest rate curves, coupon rates, currency rates, yield curves, option adjusted spreads, default rates, credit spreads and other unique security features in order to estimate the relevant cash flows which is then discounted to calculate fair values. If these inputs are unobservable and significant to the fair value, these investments will be classified as Level 3. In addition, non-agency rated investments are classified as Level 3.

Other fixed income investments, including non-U.S. government and corporate debt, are generally valued using quoted market prices, if available, which are typically impacted by current interest rates, maturity dates and any perceived credit risk of the issuer. Additionally, in the absence of quoted market prices, these inputs are used by pricing vendors to derive a valuation based upon industry or proprietary models which incorporate issuer specific data with relevant yield/spread comparisons with more widely quoted bonds with similar key characteristics. Those investments for which there are observable inputs are classified as Level 2. Where the inputs are not observable, the investments are classified as Level 3.

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of January 31, 2014:

 

Investments in Securities:

   Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  

Assets:

  

U.S. Government & Government Sponsored Agency Obligations

   $             – 0  –    $ 4,378,293,864      $ – 0  –    $ 4,378,293,864   

Repurchase Agreements

     – 0  –      854,500,000        – 0  –      854,500,000   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

     – 0  –      5,232,793,864        – 0  –      5,232,793,864   

Other Financial Instruments

     – 0  –      – 0  –      – 0  –      – 0  – 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total^

   $     – 0  –    $     5,232,793,864      $              – 0  –    $     5,232,793,864   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

^ There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 during the reporting period.

The Portfolio recognizes all transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy assuming the financial instruments were transferred at the beginning of the reporting period.

The Adviser has established a Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) which is responsible for overseeing the pricing and valuation of all securities held in the Portfolio. The Committee operates under pricing and valuation policies and procedures established by the Adviser and approved by the Board, including pricing policies which set forth the mechanisms and processes to be employed on a daily basis to implement these policies and procedures. In particular, the pricing policies describe how to determine market quotations for securities and other instruments. The Committee’s responsibilities include: 1) fair value and liquidity determinations (and oversight of any third parties to whom any responsibility for fair value and liquidity determinations is delegated), and 2) regular monitoring of the Adviser’s pricing and valuation policies and procedures and modification or enhancement of these policies and procedures (or recommendation of the modification of these policies and procedures) as the Committee believes appropriate.

The Committee is also responsible for monitoring the implementation of the pricing policies by the Adviser’s Pricing Group (the “Pricing Group”) and a third party which performs certain pricing functions in accordance with the pricing policies. The Pricing Group is responsible for the oversight of the third party on a day-to-day basis. The Committee and the Pricing Group perform a series of activities to provide reasonable assurance of the accuracy of prices including: 1) periodic vendor due diligence meetings, review of methodologies, new developments and process at vendors, 2) daily compare of security valuation versus prior day for all securities that exceeded established thresholds, and 3) daily review of unpriced, stale, and variance reports with exceptions reviewed by senior management and the Committee.


In addition, several processes outside of the pricing process are used to monitor valuation issues including: 1) performance and performance attribution reports are monitored for anomalous impacts based upon benchmark performance, and 2) portfolio managers review all portfolios for performance and analytics (which are generated using the Adviser’s prices).


ITEM 2. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

(a) The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) are effective at the reasonable assurance level based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this document.

(b) There were no changes in the registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during the last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

ITEM 3. EXHIBITS.

The following exhibits are attached to this Form N-Q:

 

EXHIBIT NO.

 

DESCRIPTION OF EXHIBIT

3 (a) (1)   Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
3 (a) (2)   Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002


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): AllianceBernstein Fixed-Income Shares, Inc.

 

By:   /s/    Robert M. Keith
  Robert M. Keith
  President
Date:   March 17, 2014

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/    Robert M. Keith
  Robert M. Keith
  President
Date:   March 17, 2014

 

By:   /s/    Joseph J. Mantineo
  Joseph J. Mantineo
  Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
Date:   March 17, 2014