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First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund Declares its Monthly Common Share Distribution of $0.125 Per Share for April

MWN-AI** Summary

The First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund (NYSE: FTHY) has announced a monthly common share distribution of $0.125 per share for April 2025, payable on April 25, 2025, to shareholders on record by April 1, 2025. The ex-dividend date is also set for April 1, 2025. Based on the March 19, 2025, net asset value of $15.01, this distribution offers a yield of approximately 9.99%; if considering the closing market price of $14.42, the yield rises to around 10.40%.

The distribution encompasses net investment income, a return of capital, and potentially net short-term realized capital gains. However, the final determination of the distribution's source and tax implications will be reported in 2025 on Form 1099-DIV.

The Fund typically invests at least 80% of its managed assets in high-yield debt securities rated below investment grade. These investments come with significant risks, including credit risk, market fluctuations, and economic conditions that could adversely impact the Fund’s performance. As a closed-end investment company, the Fund aims to generate current income, but prospective investors should be aware that investments in high-yield securities are speculative and may not consistently meet income objectives.

First Trust Advisors L.P. acts as the Fund's investment advisor and manages approximately $266 billion in assets as of February 2025. The Fund is scheduled to terminate around August 1, 2027, and while it seeks to maintain monthly distributions, these can fluctuate, impacting both net asset value and return potentials.

For further updates or inquiries, investors can access information via the Fund’s website or by contacting their support lines.

MWN-AI** Analysis

The First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund (NYSE: FTHY) recently declared a monthly distribution of $0.125 per share for April, reflecting a commendable annualized yield of approximately 10% based on its market price as of March 19, 2025. This solid income stream positions the Fund appealingly amidst prevailing market conditions, particularly for income-oriented investors seeking stable cash flows.

Investing in high-yield securities, as the Fund primarily does, comes with an inherent level of risk. These securities, often rated below investment grade, are susceptible to economic downturns which may increase default rates. The investment strategy emphasizes providing current income, yet investors must stay alert to the credit quality of the underlying securities, especially in an environment marked by economic uncertainty.

The Fund's distribution practices are designed to maintain relatively stable monthly payouts, potentially benefiting its market price by narrowing the premium/discount with respect to its Net Asset Value (NAV). However, investors should remain cognizant that this structure does not mitigate the risks associated with high-yield investments, including interest rate risk and liquidity risk, which can adversely impact returns if market conditions shift unfavorably.

For those considering an investment in FTHY, it may serve as a tactical addition to a diversified portfolio, particularly for risk-tolerant investors prioritizing income. Yet, caution is advised—diligent analysis of the Fund's underlying assets and ongoing monitoring of macroeconomic indicators will be essential to navigate the potential fluctuations in value.

In conclusion, while FTHY offers potentially robust cash flows through its monthly distributions, investors should weigh these benefits against the backdrop of elevated credit risk and market volatility before committing capital.

**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.

Source: Business Wire

First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund (the "Fund") (NYSE: FTHY) has declared the Fund’s regularly scheduled monthly common share distribution in the amount of $0.125 per share payable on April 25, 2025, to shareholders of record as of April 1, 2025. The ex-dividend date is expected to be April 1, 2025. The monthly distribution information for the Fund appears below.

First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund ( FTHY ):

Distribution per share:

$0.125

Distribution Rate based on the March 19, 2025 NAV of $15.01:

9.99%

Distribution Rate based on the March 19, 2025 closing market price of $14.42:

10.40%

This distribution will consist of net investment income earned by the Fund and return of capital and may also consist of net short-term realized capital gains. The final determination of the source and tax status of all distributions paid in 2025 will be made after the end of 2025 and will be provided on Form 1099-DIV.

The Fund has a practice of seeking to maintain a relatively stable monthly distribution which may be changed periodically. First Trust Advisors L.P. ("FTA") believes the practice may benefit the Fund's market price and premium/discount to the Fund's NAV. The practice has no impact on the Fund's investment strategy and may reduce the Fund's NAV.

The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund's investment objective is to provide current income. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its managed assets in high yield debt securities of any maturity that are rated below investment grade at the time of purchase or unrated securities determined by First Trust Advisors L.P. ("FTA") to be of comparable quality. High yield debt securities include U.S. and non-U.S. corporate debt obligations and senior, secured floating rate loans ("Senior Loans"). Securities rated below investment grade are commonly referred to as "junk" or "high yield" securities and are considered speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective or that the Fund's investment strategies will be successful.

First Trust Advisors L.P. ("FTA") is a federally registered investment advisor and serves as the Fund's investment advisor. FTA and its affiliate First Trust Portfolios L.P. ("FTP"), a FINRA registered broker-dealer, are privately-held companies that provide a variety of investment services. FTA has collective assets under management or supervision of approximately $266 billion as of February 28, 2025 through unit investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, mutual funds and separate managed accounts. FTA is the supervisor of the First Trust unit investment trusts, while FTP is the sponsor. FTP is also a distributor of mutual fund shares and exchange-traded fund creation units. FTA and FTP are based in Wheaton, Illinois.

Principal Risk Factors: Risks are inherent in all investing. Certain risks applicable to the Fund are identified below, which includes the risk that you could lose some or all of your investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are spelled out in the Fund's annual shareholder reports. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor. The Fund also files reports, proxy statements and other information that is available for review.

Past performance is no assurance of future results. Investment return and market value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate. Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. There can be no assurance that the Fund's investment objectives will be achieved. The Fund may not be appropriate for all investors.

Market risk is the risk that a particular investment, or shares of a fund in general may fall in value. Investments held by the Fund are subject to market fluctuations caused by real or perceived adverse economic conditions, political events, regulatory factors or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of a fund could decline in value or underperform other investments as a result. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, regulatory actions, political changes, diplomatic developments, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures, spread of infectious disease or other public health issues, recessions, natural disasters or other events could have significant negative impact on a fund and its investments.

Current market conditions risk is the risk that a particular investment, or shares of the fund in general, may fall in value due to current market conditions. For example, changes in governmental fiscal and regulatory policies, disruptions to banking and real estate markets, actual and threatened international armed conflicts and hostilities, and public health crises, among other significant events, could have a material impact on the value of the fund's investments.

The Fund will typically invest in securities rated below investment grade, which are commonly referred to as "junk" or "high yield" securities and considered speculative because of the credit risk of their issuers. Such issuers are more likely than investment grade issuers to default on their payments of interest and principal owed to the Fund, and such defaults could reduce the Fund's NAV and income distributions. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate, and a high yield security may lose significant market value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a high yield security may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the high yield security's value.

The debt securities in which the Fund invests are subject to certain risks, including issuer risk, reinvestment risk, prepayment risk, credit risk, and interest rate risk. Issuer risk is the risk that the value of fixed-income securities may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer. Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Fund's portfolio will decline if the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called bonds at market interest rates that are below the Fund portfolio's current earnings rate. Prepayment risk is the risk that, upon a prepayment, the actual outstanding debt on which the Fund derives interest income will be reduced. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will be unable or unwilling to make dividend, interest and/or principal payments when due and that the value of a security may decline as a result. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed-income securities will decline in value because of changes in market interest rates.

Senior Loans are structured as floating rate instruments in which the interest rate payable on the obligation fluctuates with interest rate changes. As a result, the yield on Senior Loans will generally decline in a falling interest rate environment, causing the Fund to experience a reduction in the income it receives from a Senior Loan. In addition, the market value of Senior Loans may fall in a declining interest rate environment and may also fall in a rising interest rate environment if there is a lag between the rise in interest rates and the reset. Many Senior Loans have a minimum base rate, or floor, which will be used if the actual base rate is below the minimum base rate. To the extent the Fund invests in such Senior Loans, the Fund may not benefit from higher coupon payments during periods of increasing interest rates as it otherwise would from investments in Senior Loans without any floors until rates rise to levels above the floors. As a result, the Fund may lose some of the benefits of incurring leverage. Specifically, if the Fund's borrowings have floating dividend or interest rates, its costs of leverage will increase as rates increase. In this situation, the Fund will experience increased financing costs without the benefit of receiving higher income. This in turn may result in the potential for a decrease in the level of income available for dividends or distributions to be made by the Fund.

The senior loan market has seen a significant increase in loans with weaker lender protections including, but not limited to, limited financial maintenance covenants or, in some cases, no financial maintenance covenants (i.e., "covenant-lite loans") that would typically be included in a traditional loan agreement and general weakening of other restrictive covenants applicable to the borrower such as limitations on incurrence of additional debt, restrictions on payments of junior debt or restrictions on dividends and distributions. Weaker lender protections such as the absence of financial maintenance covenants in a loan agreement and the inclusion of "borrower-favorable" terms may impact recovery values and/or trading levels of senior loans in the future. The absence of financial maintenance covenants in a loan agreement generally means that the lender may not be able to declare a default if financial performance deteriorates. This may hinder the Fund's ability to reprice credit risk associated with a particular borrower and reduce the Fund's ability to restructure a problematic loan and mitigate potential loss. As a result, the Fund's exposure to losses on investments in senior loans may be increased, especially during a downturn in the credit cycle or changes in market or economic conditions.

A second lien loan may have a claim on the same collateral pool as the first lien or it may be secured by a separate set of assets. Second lien loans are typically secured by a second priority security interest or lien on specified collateral securing the borrower's obligation under the interest and present a greater degree of investment risk. These loans are also subject to the risk that borrower cash flow and property securing the loan may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to those loans with a higher priority. These loans also have greater price volatility than those loans with a higher priority and may be less liquid. However, second lien loans often pay interest at higher rates than first lien loans reflecting such additional risks.

The Fund intends to terminate on or about August 1, 2027. Because the assets of the Fund will be liquidated in connection with the termination, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities when it otherwise would not, including at times when market conditions are not favorable, which may cause the Fund to lose money. The Fund is not a "target term" Fund and its primary objective is to provide high current income. As a result, the Fund may not return the Fund's initial public offering price of $20.00 per share at its termination.

Investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers, which are generally denominated in non-U.S. currencies, may involve certain risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers, including but not limited to economic risks, political risks, and currency risks.

Investing in emerging market countries, as compared to foreign developed markets, involves substantial additional risk due to more limited information about the issuer and/or the security (including limited financial and accounting information); higher brokerage costs; different accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; less developed legal systems and thinner trading markets; the possibility of currency blockages or transfer restrictions; an emerging market country's dependence on revenue from particular commodities or international aid; and the risk of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse political or economic developments.

Use of leverage can result in additional risk and cost, and can magnify the effect of any losses.

The Fund's portfolio is subject to credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, prepayment risk and reinvestment risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed-income securities will decline in value because of changes in market interest rates. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will be unable or unwilling to make dividend, interest and/or principal payments when due and that the value of a security may decline as a result. Credit risk may be heightened for the Fund because it invests in below investment grade securities. Liquidity risk is the risk that the fund may have difficulty disposing of senior loans if it seeks to repay debt, pay dividends or expenses, or take advantage of a new investment opportunity. Prepayment risk is the risk that, upon a prepayment, the actual outstanding debt on which the Fund derives interest income will be reduced. The Fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds received on terms as favorable as the prepaid loan. Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Fund's portfolio will decline if the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called instruments at market interest rates that are below the Fund's portfolio's current earnings rate.

The risks of investing in the Fund are spelled out in the shareholder report and other regulatory filings.

The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person. By providing this information, First Trust is not undertaking to give advice in any fiduciary capacity within the meaning of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code or any other regulatory framework. Financial professionals are responsible for evaluating investment risks independently and for exercising independent judgment in determining whether investments are appropriate for their clients.

The Fund's daily closing New York Stock Exchange price and net asset value per share as well as other information can be found at https://www.ftportfolios.com or by calling 1-800-988-5891.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250320018307/en/

Press Inquiries: Ryan Issakainen, 630-765-8689
Analyst Inquiries: Jeff Margolin, 630-915-6784
Broker Inquiries: Sales Team, 866-848-9727

FAQ**

What are the principal risks associated with investing in the First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund (FTHY), and how might these risks impact the Fund’s ability to provide consistent income to shareholders?

The principal risks associated with investing in the First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund (FTHY) include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, which may adversely affect its income stability and overall return potential for shareholders.

How does the investment strategy of the First Trust High Yield Opportunities 20Term Fund (FTHY), which includes investing primarily in high yield debt securities, influence its overall risk profile compared to other investment options?

The investment strategy of the First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund (FTHY), focused on high yield debt securities, inherently involves a higher risk profile due to potential credit defaults and market volatility compared to more conservative investment options.

Can you explain the potential implications of the Fund’s practice of maintaining a stable monthly distribution on its market price and NAV, particularly in relation to the First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund (FTHY)?

The Fund's stable monthly distribution practice may enhance investor confidence and demand for FTHY, potentially stabilizing its market price and net asset value (NAV), while also influencing perceptions of financial reliability and diminishing price volatility.

Given that the First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund (FTHY) is set to terminate on August 1, 2027, what should investors consider regarding the liquidation of the Fund's assets and its impact on investment returns?

Investors should consider that as the First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund approaches liquidation, the timing and method of asset sales may affect the net asset value and ultimately impact returns, particularly in volatile market conditions.

**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund (NYSE: FTHY).

First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund

NASDAQ: FTHY

FTHY Trading

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May 22, 2025 04:36:00 pm
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FTHY Stock Data

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