Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund, Inc.
Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-CSR

 

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811-22328

 

 

Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

 

Christopher O. Petersen, Esq.

c/o Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC

225 Franklin Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02110

Ryan C. Larrenaga, Esq.

c/o Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC

225 Franklin Street

Boston, MA 02110

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (800) 345-6611

Date of fiscal year end: December 31

Date of reporting period: June 30, 2018

 

 

Form N-CSR is to be used by management investment companies to file reports with the Commission not later than 10 days after the transmission to stockholders of any report that is required to be transmitted to stockholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30e-1). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-CSR in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.

A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-CSR, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-CSR unless the Form displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) control number. Please direct comments concerning the accuracy of the information collection burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the burden to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549-0609. The OMB has reviewed this collection of information under the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. § 3507.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

Item 1. Reports to Stockholders.

 


Table of Contents
SemiAnnual Report
June 30, 2018
Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund
Not FDIC Insured • No bank guarantee • May lose value


Table of Contents
Under the Fund’s managed distribution policy and subject to the approval of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the Board), the Fund expects to make quarterly cash distributions (in February, May, August and November) to holders of common stock (Common Stockholders). The Fund’s most recent distribution under its managed distribution policy (paid on August 21, 2018) amounted to $0.4625 per share, which is equal to a quarterly rate of 2.3125% (9.25% annualized) of the $20.00 offering price in the Fund’s initial public offering in November 2009. This distribution is equal to a quarterly rate of 2.1363% (8.55% annualized) of the Fund’s market price of $21.65 per share as of July 31, 2018. You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund’s investment performance from the amount of the distributions or from the terms of the Fund’s distribution policy. Historically, the Fund has distributed more than its income and net realized capital gains, which has resulted in Fund distributions substantially consisting of return of capital or other capital source. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund’s investment performance and should not be confused with ‘yield’ or ‘income’. As of the payment dates of these most recent distributions, all Fund distributions paid in 2018 (as estimated by the Fund based on current information) are from the earnings and profits of the Fund and not a return of capital. This could change during the remainder of the year. The Fund’s Board may determine in the future that the Fund’s managed distribution policy and the amount or timing of the distributions should not be continued in light of changes in the Fund’s portfolio holdings, market or other conditions or factors, including that the distribution rate under such policy may not be dependent upon the amount of the Fund’s earned income or realized capital gains. The Board could also consider amending or terminating the current distribution policy because of potential adverse tax consequences associated with maintaining the policy. In certain situations, returns of capital could be taxable for federal income tax purposes, and all or a portion of the Fund’s capital loss carryforwards from prior years, if any, could effectively be forfeited. The Board may amend or terminate the Fund’s distribution policy at any time without prior notice to Fund stockholders; any such change or termination may have an adverse effect on the market price of the Fund’s shares.
See Notes to Financial Statements for additional information related to the Fund’s managed distribution policy.
Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund   |  Semiannual Report 2018


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Letter to the Stockholders
Dear Stockholders,
We are pleased to present the semiannual stockholder report for Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund, Inc. (the Fund). The report includes the Fund’s investment results, the portfolio of investments and financial statements as of June 30, 2018.
The Fund’s Common Stock returned 5.25%, based on net asset value, and 1.07%, based on market price, for the six months ended June 30, 2018. The Fund’s benchmark, the S&P North American Technology Sector Index, returned 14.96% for the same time period.
During the first six months of 2018, the Fund paid two distributions in accordance with its managed distribution policy that aggregated to $0.9250 per share of Common Stock of the Fund. The Fund has exemptive relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission that permits the Fund to make periodic distributions of long-term capital gains more often than once in any one taxable year. Unless you elected otherwise, distributions were paid in additional shares of the Fund.
On April 16, 2018, the Fund held its Eighth Annual Meeting of Stockholders in Minneapolis, MN. Stockholders elected four Directors at the Meeting. Mr. Edward J. Boudreau, Jr. was elected Director for a term that will expire at the Fund’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and Mses. Kathleen Blatz and Pamela G. Carlton and Mr. George S. Batejan were each elected as Director for a term that will expire at the Fund’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Stockholders also ratified the Board of Directors’ (the Board) selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2018. The results of the proposals voted on can be found on page 30 of this report.
Information about the Fund, including daily pricing, current performance, Fund holdings, stockholder reports, distributions and other information can be found at columbiathreadneedleus.com/investor/ under the Closed-End Funds tab.
On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank you for your continued support of Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund, Inc.
Regards,
Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.
Chairman of the Board
For more information, go online to columbiathreadneedleus.com/investor/; or call American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, the Fund’s Stockholder Servicing Agent, at 866.666.1532. Customer Service Representatives are available to answer your questions Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund   |  Semiannual Report 2018


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Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund  |  Semiannual Report 2018


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Fund at a Glance
(Unaudited)
Investment objective
Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund (the Fund) seeks growth of capital and current income.
Portfolio management
Paul Wick
Lead Portfolio Manager
Managed Fund since 2009
Braj Agrawal
Co-Portfolio Manager
Managed Fund since 2010
Christopher Boova
Co-Portfolio Manager
Managed Fund since 2016
Jeetil Patel
Technology Team Member
Managed Fund since 2015
Vimal Patel
Technology Team Member
Managed Fund since February 2018
Shekhar Pramanick
Technology Team Member
Managed Fund since February 2018
Morningstar style boxTM
The Morningstar Style Box is based on a fund’s portfolio holdings. For equity funds, the vertical axis shows the market capitalization of the stocks owned, and the horizontal axis shows investment style (value, blend, or growth). Information shown is based on the most recent data provided by Morningstar.
© 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. The Morningstar information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.
Average annual total returns (%) (for the period ended June 30, 2018)
    Inception 6 Months
cumulative
1 Year 5 Years Life
Market Price 11/24/09 1.07 13.13 21.29 12.41
Net Asset Value 11/30/09 5.25 18.43 19.25 12.70
S&P North American Technology Sector Index   14.96 34.81 22.63 18.15
Life total return for market price is based on the initial offering price on November 24, 2009, which was $20.00 per share.
Life total return for net asset value (NAV) is from the opening of business on November 30, 2009 and includes the 4.50% initial sales load. The NAV price per share of the Fund’s Common Stock at inception was $19.10.
Index inception return is calculated from 11/30/2009.
The performance information shown represents past performance and is not a guarantee of future results. The investment return and principal value of your investment will fluctuate so that your shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance information shown. You may obtain performance information current to the most recent month-end by visiting columbiathreadneedleus.com/investor/.
Returns reflect changes in market price or net asset value, as applicable, and assume reinvestment of distributions. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that investors may pay on distributions or the sale of shares.
The S&P North American Technology Sector Index is an unmanaged modified capitalization-weighted index based on a universe of technology-related stocks.
Indices are not available for investment, are not professionally managed and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing. Securities in the Fund may not match those in an index.
Price Per Share
  June 30, 2018 March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017  
Market Price ($) 21.54 21.95 22.25  
Net Asset Value ($) 21.00 21.45 20.83  
    
Distributions Paid Per Common Share
Payable Date Per Share Amount ($)
January 23, 2018 0.7806
February 27, 2018 0.4625
May 22, 2018 0.4625
The net asset value of the Fund’s shares may not always correspond to the market price of such shares. Common stock of many closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount from their net asset value. The Fund is subject to stock market risk, which is the risk that stock prices overall will decline over short or long periods, adversely affecting the value of an investment in the Fund.
Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund  | Semiannual Report 2018
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Fund at a Glance   (continued)
(Unaudited)
Top 10 holdings (%) (at June 30, 2018)
Lam Research Corp. 7.7
Broadcom, Inc. 6.3
Micron Technology, Inc. 5.6
Apple, Inc. 5.5
Synopsys, Inc. 3.7
Alphabet, Inc., Class C 3.5
Visa, Inc., Class A 3.3
Alphabet, Inc., Class A 3.2
Western Digital Corp. 3.1
Applied Materials, Inc. 3.1
Percentages indicated are based upon total investments (excluding Money Market Funds).
For further detail about these holdings, please refer to the section entitled “Portfolio of Investments.”
Fund holdings are as of the date given, are subject to change at any time, and are not recommendations to buy or sell any security.
Portfolio breakdown (%) (at June 30, 2018)
Common Stocks 96.3
Money Market Funds 3.7
Total 100.0
Percentages indicated are based upon total investments. The Fund’s portfolio composition is subject to change.
Equity sector breakdown (%) (at June 30, 2018)
Consumer Discretionary 0.2
Information Technology 99.5
Telecommunication Services 0.3
Total 100.0
Percentages indicated are based upon total equity investments. The Fund’s portfolio composition is subject to change.
4 Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund  | Semiannual Report 2018


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Fund Objectives and Rules-Based Option Strategy
(Unaudited)
The Fund’s investment objectives are to seek growth of capital and current income. Under normal market conditions, the Fund’s investment program will consist primarily of (i) investing in a portfolio of equity securities of technology and technology-related companies that seeks to exceed the total return, before fees and expenses, of the S&P North American Technology Sector Index and (ii) writing call options on the NASDAQ 100 Index®, an unmanaged index that includes the largest and most active non-financial domestic and international companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, or its exchange-traded fund equivalent (the NASDAQ 100) on a month-to-month basis, with an aggregate notional amount typically ranging from 0% to 90% of the underlying value of the Fund’s holdings of Common Stock (the Rules-based Option Strategy). The Fund expects to generate current income from premiums received from writing call options on the NASDAQ 100. The Fund may also buy or write other call and put options on securities, indices, ETFs and market baskets of securities to generate additional income or return or to provide the portfolio with downside protection.
The Fund’s Rules-based Option Strategy with respect to writing call options is as follows:
When the VXN Index (a) is: Aggregate Notional Amount of
Written Call Options as a
Percentage of the Fund’s
Holdings in Common Stocks
17 or less 25%
Greater than 17, but less than 18 Increase up to 50%
At least 18, but less than 33 50%
At least 33, but less than 34 Increase up to 90%
At least 34, but less than 55 90%
At 55 or greater 0% to 90%
(a) The VXN Index is a leading barometer of investor sentiment and market volatility relating to the NASDAQ 100 Index.
In addition to the Rules-based Option Strategy, the Fund may write additional calls with aggregate notional amounts of up to 25% of the value of the Fund’s holdings in Common Stock (to a maximum of 90% when aggregated with the call options written pursuant to the Rules-based Option Strategy) when Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (the Investment Manager) believes call premiums are attractive relative to the risk of the price of the NASDAQ 100. The Fund may also close (or buy back) a written call option if the Investment Manager believes that a substantial amount of the premium (typically, 70% or more) to be received by the Fund has been captured before exercise, potentially reducing the call position to 0% of total equity until additional calls are written.
Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund  | Semiannual Report 2018
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Portfolio of Investments
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
(Percentages represent value of investments compared to net assets)
Investments in securities
Common Stocks 96.5%
Issuer Shares Value ($)
Consumer Discretionary 0.2%
Internet & Direct Marketing Retail 0.2%
JD.com, Inc., ADR(a) 16,000 623,200
Total Internet & Direct Marketing Retail 623,200
Total Consumer Discretionary 623,200
Information Technology 96.0%
Application Software 9.5%
Adobe Systems, Inc.(a) 7,500 1,828,575
Nuance Communications, Inc.(a) 654,207 9,083,664
Pluralsight, Inc., Class A(a) 8,526 208,461
Salesforce.com, Inc.(a) 34,700 4,733,080
Splunk, Inc.(a) 14,358 1,423,021
Synopsys, Inc.(a) 137,989 11,807,719
Verint Systems, Inc.(a) 48,500 2,150,975
Total Application Software 31,235,495
Communications Equipment 2.6%
Arris International PLC(a) 206,696 5,052,684
Cisco Systems, Inc. 46,000 1,979,380
CommScope Holding Co., Inc.(a) 16,700 487,723
Lumentum Holdings, Inc.(a) 14,300 827,970
Viavi Solutions, Inc.(a) 32,400 331,776
Total Communications Equipment 8,679,533
Data Processing & Outsourced Services 5.8%
Euronet Worldwide, Inc.(a) 30,465 2,552,053
Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. 13,600 1,442,008
GreenSky, Inc., Class A(a) 62,519 1,322,277
Pagseguro Digital Ltd., Class A(a) 111,497 3,094,042
Visa, Inc., Class A 79,800 10,569,510
Total Data Processing & Outsourced Services 18,979,890
Electronic Equipment & Instruments 0.3%
Orbotech Ltd.(a) 15,400 951,720
Total Electronic Equipment & Instruments 951,720
Home Entertainment Software 0.1%
Zynga, Inc., Class A(a) 68,700 279,609
Total Home Entertainment Software 279,609
Common Stocks (continued)
Issuer Shares Value ($)
Internet Software & Services 12.6%
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., ADR(a) 5,200 964,756
Alphabet, Inc., Class A(a) 9,000 10,162,710
Alphabet, Inc., Class C(a) 9,824 10,960,145
Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc.(a) 42,600 2,020,518
eBay, Inc.(a) 167,300 6,066,298
Facebook, Inc., Class A(a) 34,100 6,626,312
GoDaddy, Inc., Class A(a) 18,900 1,334,340
LogMeIn, Inc. 29,619 3,058,162
Total Internet Software & Services 41,193,241
IT Consulting & Other Services 1.5%
DXC Technology Co. 54,940 4,428,713
Perspecta, Inc. 27,470 564,509
Total IT Consulting & Other Services 4,993,222
Semiconductor Equipment 13.1%
Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.(a) 17,600 1,022,384
Applied Materials, Inc. 210,100 9,704,519
Lam Research Corp. 140,883 24,351,626
Teradyne, Inc. 209,354 7,970,107
Total Semiconductor Equipment 43,048,636
Semiconductors 29.8%
Broadcom, Inc. 81,600 19,799,424
Cavium, Inc.(a) 72,341 6,257,497
Cypress Semiconductor Corp. 146,849 2,287,907
Inphi Corp.(a) 139,364 4,544,660
Integrated Device Technology, Inc.(a) 223,707 7,131,779
Lattice Semiconductor Corp.(a) 718,616 4,714,121
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 297,700 6,382,688
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. 80,859 4,743,189
Microchip Technology, Inc. 67,300 6,120,935
Micron Technology, Inc.(a),(b) 338,196 17,734,998
ON Semiconductor Corp.(a) 162,618 3,615,811
Qorvo, Inc.(a) 88,496 7,094,724
Synaptics, Inc.(a) 149,483 7,529,459
Total Semiconductors 97,957,192
The accompanying Notes to Financial Statements are an integral part of this statement.
6 Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund  | Semiannual Report 2018


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Portfolio of Investments  (continued)
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
Common Stocks (continued)
Issuer Shares Value ($)
Systems Software 7.4%
Carbon Black, Inc.(a) 5,054 131,404
Fortinet, Inc.(a) 87,492 5,462,126
Microsoft Corp. 52,200 5,147,442
Oracle Corp. 184,800 8,142,288
SailPoint Technologies Holding, Inc.(a) 50,291 1,234,141
TiVo Corp. 302,400 4,067,280
Total Systems Software 24,184,681
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals 13.3%
Apple, Inc. 93,600 17,326,296
Electronics for Imaging, Inc.(a) 189,276 6,162,827
NetApp, Inc. 46,100 3,620,233
Western Digital Corp. 126,700 9,807,847
Xerox Corp. 278,671 6,688,104
Total Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals 43,605,307
Total Information Technology 315,108,526
Common Stocks (continued)
Issuer Shares Value ($)
Telecommunication Services 0.3%
Integrated Telecommunication Services 0.3%
Ooma, Inc.(a) 59,149 836,958
Total Integrated Telecommunication Services 836,958
Total Telecommunication Services 836,958
Total Common Stocks
(Cost: $216,074,023)
316,568,684
Money Market Funds 3.7%
Columbia Short-Term Cash Fund, 1.985%(c),(d) 12,274,950 12,274,950
Total Money Market Funds
(Cost: $12,274,762)
12,274,950
Total Investments in Securities
(Cost $228,348,785)
328,843,634
Other Assets & Liabilities, Net   (721,712)
Net Assets $328,121,922
 
 
At June 30, 2018, securities and/or cash totaling $2,349,312 were pledged as collateral.
Call option contracts written
Description Counterparty Trading
currency
Notional
amount
Number of
contracts
Exercise
price/Rate
Expiration
date
Premium
received ($)
Value ($)
Micron Technology, Inc. Deutsche Bank USD (2,349,312) (448) 80.00 01/2019 (226,973) (52,416)
Notes to Portfolio of Investments
(a) Non-income producing investment.
(b) This security or a portion of this security has been pledged as collateral in connection with derivative contracts.
(c) The rate shown is the seven-day current annualized yield at June 30, 2018.
(d) As defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, an affiliated company is one in which the Fund owns 5% or more of the company’s outstanding voting securities, or a company which is under common ownership or control with the Fund. Holdings and transactions in these affiliated companies during the period ended June 30, 2018 are as follows:
    
Issuer Beginning
shares
Shares
purchased
Shares
sold
Ending
shares
Realized gain
(loss) —
affiliated
issuers ($)
Net change in
unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation) —
affiliated
issuers ($)
Dividends —
affiliated
issuers ($)
Value —
affiliated
issuers
at end of
period ($)
Columbia Short-Term Cash Fund, 1.985%
  4,032,237 53,894,912 (45,652,199) 12,274,950 (808) 40 35,933 12,274,950
Abbreviation Legend
ADR American Depositary Receipt
The accompanying Notes to Financial Statements are an integral part of this statement.
Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund  | Semiannual Report 2018
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Portfolio of Investments  (continued)
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
Fair value measurements
The Fund categorizes its fair value measurements according to a three-level hierarchy that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by prioritizing that the most observable input be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing an investment based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs are those that reflect the Fund’s assumptions about the information market participants would use in pricing an investment. An investment’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is deemed significant to the asset’s or liability’s fair value measurement. The input levels are not necessarily an indication of the risk or liquidity associated with investments at that level. For example, certain U.S. government securities are generally high quality and liquid, however, they are reflected as Level 2 because the inputs used to determine fair value may not always be quoted prices in an active market.
Fair value inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1 — Valuations based on quoted prices for investments in active markets that the Fund has the ability to access at the measurement date. Valuation adjustments are not applied to Level 1 investments.
Level 2 — Valuations based on other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risks, etc.).
Level 3 — Valuations based on significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions and judgment in determining the fair value of investments).
Inputs that are used in determining fair value of an investment may include price information, credit data, volatility statistics, and other factors. These inputs can be either observable or unobservable. The availability of observable inputs can vary between investments, and is affected by various factors such as the type of investment, and the volume and level of activity for that investment or similar investments in the marketplace. The inputs will be considered by the Investment Manager, along with any other relevant factors in the calculation of an investment’s fair value. The Fund uses prices and inputs that are current as of the measurement date, which may include periods of market dislocations. During these periods, the availability of prices and inputs may be reduced for many investments. This condition could cause an investment to be reclassified between the various levels within the hierarchy.
Certain investments that have been measured at fair value using the net asset value (NAV) per share (or its equivalent) are not categorized in the fair value hierarchy. The fair value amounts presented in the table are intended to reconcile the fair value hierarchy to the amounts presented in the Portfolio of Investments. The Columbia Short-Term Cash Fund seeks to provide shareholders with maximum current income consistent with liquidity and stability of principal. Columbia Short-Term Cash Fund prices its shares with a floating NAV and no longer seeks to maintain a stable NAV.
Investments falling into the Level 3 category are primarily supported by quoted prices from brokers and dealers participating in the market for those investments. However, these may be classified as Level 3 investments due to lack of market transparency and corroboration to support these quoted prices. Additionally, valuation models may be used as the pricing source for any remaining investments classified as Level 3. These models may rely on one or more significant unobservable inputs and/or significant assumptions by the Investment Manager. Inputs used in valuations may include, but are not limited to, financial statement analysis, capital account balances, discount rates and estimated cash flows, and comparable company data.
Under the direction of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the Board), the Investment Manager’s Valuation Committee (the Committee) is responsible for overseeing the valuation procedures approved by the Board. The Committee consists of voting and non-voting members from various groups within the Investment Manager’s organization, including operations and accounting, trading and investments, compliance, risk management and legal.
The Committee meets at least monthly to review and approve valuation matters, which may include a description of specific valuation determinations, data regarding pricing information received from approved pricing vendors and brokers and the results of Board-approved valuation control policies and procedures (the Policies). The Policies address, among other things, instances when market quotations are or are not readily available, including recommendations of third party pricing vendors and a determination of appropriate pricing methodologies; events that require specific valuation determinations and assessment of fair value techniques; securities with a potential for stale pricing, including those that are illiquid, restricted, or in default; and the effectiveness of third party pricing vendors, including periodic reviews of vendors. The Committee meets more frequently, as needed, to discuss additional valuation matters, which may include the need to review back-testing results, review time-sensitive information or approve related valuation actions. The Committee reports to the Board, with members of the Committee meeting with the Board at each of its regularly scheduled meetings to discuss valuation matters and actions during the period, similar to those described earlier.
For investments categorized as Level 3, the Committee monitors information similar to that described above, which may include: (i) data specific to the issuer or comparable issuers, (ii) general market or specific sector news and (iii) quoted prices and specific or similar security transactions. The Committee considers this data and any changes from prior periods in order to assess the reasonableness of observable and unobservable inputs, any assumptions or internal models used to value those securities and changes in fair value. This data is also used to corroborate, when available, information received from approved pricing vendors and brokers. Various factors impact the frequency of monitoring this information (which may occur as often as daily). However, the Committee may determine that changes to inputs, assumptions and models are not required as a result of the monitoring procedures performed.
The following table is a summary of the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments at June 30, 2018:
  Level 1
quoted prices
in active
markets for
identical
assets ($)
Level 2
other
significant
observable
inputs ($)
Level 3
significant
unobservable
inputs ($)
Investments
measured at
net asset
value ($)
Total ($)
Investments in Securities          
Common Stocks          
Consumer Discretionary 623,200 623,200
Information Technology 315,108,526 315,108,526
Telecommunication Services 836,958 836,958
Total Common Stocks 316,568,684 316,568,684
Money Market Funds 12,274,950 12,274,950
Total Investments in Securities 316,568,684 12,274,950 328,843,634
The accompanying Notes to Financial Statements are an integral part of this statement.
8 Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund  | Semiannual Report 2018


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Portfolio of Investments  (continued)
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
Fair value measurements  (continued)
  Level 1
quoted prices
in active
markets for
identical
assets ($)
Level 2
other
significant
observable
inputs ($)
Level 3
significant
unobservable
inputs ($)
Investments
measured at
net asset
value ($)
Total ($)
Investments in Derivatives          
Liability          
Options Contracts Written (52,416) (52,416)
Total 316,516,268 12,274,950 328,791,218
See the Portfolio of Investments for all investment classifications not indicated in the table.
There were no transfers of financial assets between levels during the period.
The accompanying Notes to Financial Statements are an integral part of this statement.
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Statement of Assets and Liabilities
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
Assets  
Investments in securities, at value  
Unaffiliated issuers (cost $216,074,023) $316,568,684
Affiliated issuers (cost $12,274,762) 12,274,950
Receivable for:  
Investments sold 416,166
Dividends 172,228
Total assets 329,432,028
Liabilities  
Option contracts written, at value (premiums received $226,973) 52,416
Payable for:  
Investments purchased 884,008
Management services fees 287,468
Stockholder servicing and transfer agent fees 690
Compensation of board members 79,051
Compensation of chief compliance officer 36
Other expenses 6,437
Total liabilities 1,310,106
Net assets applicable to outstanding Common Stock $328,121,922
Represented by  
Paid in capital 213,035,331
Excess of distributions over net investment income (375,191)
Accumulated net realized gain 14,792,376
Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:  
Investments - unaffiliated issuers 100,494,661
Investments - affiliated issuers 188
Options contracts written 174,557
Total - representing net assets applicable to outstanding Common Stock $328,121,922
Shares outstanding applicable to Common Stock 15,628,501
Net asset value per share of outstanding Common Stock $21.00
Market price per share of Common Stock $21.54
The accompanying Notes to Financial Statements are an integral part of this statement.
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Statement of Operations
Six Months Ended June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
Net investment income  
Income:  
Dividends — unaffiliated issuers $1,585,811
Dividends — affiliated issuers 35,933
Total income 1,621,744
Expenses:  
Management services fees 1,784,803
Stockholder servicing and transfer agent fees 7,159
Compensation of board members 19,070
Custodian fees 4,985
Printing and postage fees 25,329
Stockholders’ meeting fees 15,476
Audit fees 17,994
Legal fees 5,675
Compensation of chief compliance officer 34
Other 49,267
Total expenses 1,929,792
Net investment loss (308,048)
Realized and unrealized gain (loss) — net  
Net realized gain (loss) on:  
Investments — unaffiliated issuers 22,062,511
Investments — affiliated issuers (808)
Foreign currency translations (123)
Options contracts written (2,766,217)
Net realized gain 19,295,363
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:  
Investments — unaffiliated issuers (2,182,630)
Investments — affiliated issuers 40
Options contracts written 174,557
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) (2,008,033)
Net realized and unrealized gain 17,287,330
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations $16,979,282
The accompanying Notes to Financial Statements are an integral part of this statement.
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Statement of Changes in Net Assets
  Six Months Ended
June 30, 2018
(Unaudited)
Year Ended
December 31, 2017
Operations    
Net investment loss $(308,048) $(895,557)
Net realized gain 19,295,363 35,073,234
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) (2,008,033) 53,130,827
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations 16,979,282 87,308,504
Distributions to stockholders    
Net realized gains (14,448,542) (40,457,871)
Total distributions to stockholders (14,448,542) (40,457,871)
Increase in net assets from capital stock activity 5,119,294 395,646
Total increase in net assets 7,650,034 47,246,279
Net assets at beginning of period 320,471,888 273,225,609
Net assets at end of period $328,121,922 $320,471,888
Excess of distributions over net investment income $(375,191) $(67,143)
    
  Six Months Ended Year Ended
  June 30, 2018 (Unaudited) December 31, 2017
  Shares Dollars ($) Shares Dollars ($)
Capital stock activity
         
Distributions reinvested 240,244 5,119,294 19,127 395,646
Total net increase 240,244 5,119,294 19,127 395,646
The accompanying Notes to Financial Statements are an integral part of this statement.
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Financial Highlights
The Fund’s financial highlights are presented below. Per share operating performance data is designed to allow investors to trace the operating performance, on a per Common Stock share basis, from the beginning net asset value to the ending net asset value, so that investors can understand what effect the individual items have on their investment, assuming it was held throughout the period. Generally, the per share amounts are derived by converting the actual dollar amounts incurred for each item, as disclosed in the financial statements, to their equivalent per Common Stock share amounts, using average Common Stock shares outstanding during the period.
Total return measures the Fund’s performance assuming that investors purchased Fund shares at market price or net asset value as of the beginning of the period, reinvested all their distributions, and then sold their shares at the closing market price or net asset value on the last day of the period. The computations do not reflect taxes or any sales commissions investors may incur on distributions or on the sale of Fund shares. Total returns and portfolio turnover are not annualized for periods of less than one year. The portfolio turnover rate is calculated without regard to purchase and sales transactions of short-term instruments and certain derivatives, if any. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.
  Six Months Ended
June 30, 2018
(Unaudited)
Year ended December 31,
2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
Per share data            
Net asset value, beginning of period $20.83 $17.78 $17.29 $17.69 $16.18 $15.36
Income from investment operations:            
Net investment loss (0.02) (0.06) (0.05) (0.04) (0.07) (0.07)
Net realized and unrealized gain 1.12 5.74 2.39 1.49 3.43 2.74
Total from investment operations 1.10 5.68 2.34 1.45 3.36 2.67
Less distributions to Stockholders from:            
Net realized gains (0.93) (2.63) (1.85) (1.85) (1.85) (0.42)
Tax return of capital (1.43)
Total distributions to Stockholders (0.93) (2.63) (1.85) (1.85) (1.85) (1.85)
Net asset value, end of period $21.00 $20.83 $17.78 $17.29 $17.69 $16.18
Market price, end of period $21.54 $22.25 $18.74 $17.93 $18.93 $14.39
Total return            
Based upon net asset value 5.25% 32.72% 15.29% 8.40% 22.32% 19.02%
Based upon market price 1.07% 34.51% 17.18% 5.05% 47.17% 12.05%
Ratios to average net assets            
Total gross expenses(a) 1.15% (b) 1.16% 1.17% 1.17% 1.17% 1.17%
Net investment loss (0.18%) (b) (0.28%) (0.33%) (0.24%) (0.41%) (0.46%)
Supplemental data            
Net assets, end of period (in thousands) $328,122 $320,472 $273,226 $265,426 $271,300 $247,700
Portfolio turnover 14% 47% 61% 61% 60% 57%
    
Notes to Financial Highlights
(a) In addition to the fees and expenses that the Fund bears directly, the Fund indirectly bears a pro rata share of the fees and expenses of any other funds in which it invests. Such indirect expenses are not included in the Fund’s reported expense ratios.
(b) Annualized.
The accompanying Notes to Financial Statements are an integral part of this statement.
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Notes to Financial Statements
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
Note 1. Organization
Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund (the Fund) is a non-diversified fund. The Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), as a closed-end management investment company.
The Fund was incorporated under the laws of the State of Maryland on September 3, 2009, and commenced investment operations on November 30, 2009. The Fund had no investment operations prior to November 30, 2009 other than those relating to organizational matters and the sale to Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (the Investment Manager), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (Ameriprise Financial), of 5,250 shares of Common Stock at a cost of $100,275 on October 14, 2009. As of December 31, 2009, the Fund issued 14,300,000 shares of Common Stock, including 13,100,000 shares of Common Stock in its initial public offering and 1,200,000 shares of Common Stock purchased by the Fund’s underwriters pursuant to an over-allotment option granted to the underwriters in connection with the initial public offering. On January 13, 2010, the Fund’s underwriters purchased an additional 545,000 shares of Common Stock pursuant to the over-allotment option, resulting in a total of 14,845,000 shares of Common Stock issued by the Fund in its initial public offering, including shares purchased by the underwriters pursuant to the over-allotment option. With the closing of this additional purchase of Common Stock, the Fund’s total raise-up in its initial public offering was an aggregate of $296.9 million. The Fund has one billion authorized shares of Common Stock. The issued and outstanding Common Stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “STK”.
The Fund currently has outstanding Common Stock. Each outstanding share of Common Stock entitles the holder thereof to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of the Common Stockholders, including the election of directors. Because the Fund has no other classes or series of stock outstanding, Common Stock possesses exclusive voting power. All of the Fund’s shares of Common Stock have equal dividend, liquidation, voting and other rights. The Fund’s Common Stockholders have no preference, conversion, redemption, exchange, sinking fund, or appraisal rights and have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any of the Fund’s securities.
Although the Fund has no current intention to do so, the Fund is authorized and reserves the flexibility to use leverage to increase its investments or for other management activities through the issuance of Preferred Stock and/or borrowings. The costs of issuing Preferred Stock and/or a borrowing program would be borne by Common Stockholders and consequently would result in a reduction of net asset value of Common Stock.
Note 2. Summary of significant accounting policies
Basis of preparation
The Fund is an investment company that applies the accounting and reporting guidance in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services - Investment Companies (ASC 946). The financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), which requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements.
Security valuation
All equity securities are valued at the close of business of the New York Stock Exchange. Equity securities are valued at the last quoted sales price on the principal exchange or market on which they trade, except for securities traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market, which are valued at the NASDAQ official close price. Unlisted securities or listed securities for which there were no sales during the day are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and ask prices on such exchanges or markets.
Foreign equity securities are valued based on the closing price on the foreign exchange in which such securities are primarily traded. If any foreign equity security closing prices are not readily available, the securities are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and ask prices on such exchanges or markets. Foreign currency exchange rates are generally determined at 4:00 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) time. Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the close of the New
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Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
York Stock Exchange; therefore, the closing prices for securities in such markets or on such exchanges may not fully reflect events that occur after such close but before the close of the New York Stock Exchange. In those situations, foreign securities will be fair valued pursuant to a policy adopted by the Board of Directors, including, if available, utilizing a third party pricing service to determine these fair values. The third party pricing service takes into account multiple factors, including, but not limited to, movements in the U.S. securities markets, certain depositary receipts, futures contracts and foreign exchange rates that have occurred subsequent to the close of the foreign exchange or market, to determine a good faith estimate that reasonably reflects the current market conditions as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange. The fair value of a security is likely to be different from the quoted or published price, if available.
Investments in open-end investment companies, including money market funds, are valued at their latest net asset value.
Option contracts are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and ask prices on their primary exchanges. Option contracts, including over-the-counter option contracts, with no readily available market quotations are valued using quotes obtained from independent brokers as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange.
Investments for which market quotations are not readily available, or that have quotations which management believes are not reflective of market value or reliable, are valued at fair value as determined in good faith under procedures approved by and under the general supervision of the Board of Directors. If a security or class of securities (such as foreign securities) is valued at fair value, such value is likely to be different from the quoted or published price for the security.
The determination of fair value often requires significant judgment. To determine fair value, management may use assumptions including but not limited to future cash flows and estimated risk premiums. Multiple inputs from various sources may be used to determine fair value.
GAAP requires disclosure regarding the inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value and any changes in valuation inputs or techniques. In addition, investments shall be disclosed by major category. This information is disclosed following the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
Derivative instruments
The Fund may invest in certain derivative instruments, which are transactions whose values depend on or are derived from (in whole or in part) the value of one or more other assets, such as securities, currencies, commodities or indices. The Fund uses a rules-based call option writing strategy on the NASDAQ 100 Index®, an unmanaged index that includes the largest and most active nonfinancial domestic and international companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, or its exchange-traded fund equivalent (NASDAQ 100) on a month-to-month basis.
The Fund may also seek to provide downside protection by purchasing puts on the NASDAQ 100 when premiums on these options are considered by the Investment Manager to be low and, therefore, attractive relative to the downside protection provided.
The Fund may also buy or write other call and put options on securities, indices, ETFs and market baskets of securities to generate additional income or return or to provide the portfolio with downside protection. In this regard, options may include writing “in-” or “out-of-the-money” put options or buying or selling options in connection with closing out positions prior to expiration of any options. However, the Fund does not intend to write “naked” call options on individual stocks (i.e., selling a call option on an individual security not owned by the Fund) other than in connection with implementing the options strategies with respect to the NASDAQ 100. The put and call options purchased, sold or written by the Fund may be exchange-listed or over-the-counter.
The notional amounts of derivative instruments, if applicable, are not recorded in the financial statements. A derivative instrument may suffer a mark to market loss if the value of the contract decreases due to an unfavorable change in the market rates or values of the underlying instrument. Losses can also occur if the counterparty does not perform under the contract. Options written by the Fund do not typically give rise to counterparty credit risk, as options written generally obligate the Fund and not the counterparty to perform. With exchange-traded purchased options, there is minimal counterparty credit risk to the Fund since the exchange’s clearinghouse, as counterparty to such instruments, guarantees against a possible default. The clearinghouse stands between the buyer and the seller of the contract; therefore, the counterparty credit risk is limited to failure of the clearinghouse. However, credit risk still exists in exchange traded option contracts with respect to any
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Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
collateral that is held in a broker’s customer accounts. While brokers are required to segregate customer collateral from their own assets, in the event that a broker becomes insolvent or goes into bankruptcy and at that time there is a shortfall in the aggregate amount of collateral held by the broker for all its clients, U.S. bankruptcy laws will typically allocate that shortfall on a pro-rata basis across all the broker’s customers, potentially resulting in losses to the Fund.
In order to better define its contractual rights and to secure rights that will help the Fund mitigate its counterparty risk, the Fund may enter into an International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreement (ISDA Master Agreement) or similar agreement with its derivative contract counterparties. An ISDA Master Agreement is a bilateral agreement between a Fund and a counterparty that governs OTC derivatives and foreign exchange contracts and typically contains, among other things, collateral posting terms and netting provisions in the event of a default and/or termination event. Under an ISDA Master Agreement, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, offset with the counterparty certain derivative financial instrument’s payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment. The provisions of the ISDA Master Agreement typically permit a single net payment in the event of default (close-out netting) including the bankruptcy or insolvency of the counterparty. Note, however, that bankruptcy or insolvency laws of a particular jurisdiction may impose restrictions on or prohibitions against the right of offset in bankruptcy, insolvency or other events. Collateral (margin) requirements differ by type of derivative. Margin requirements are established by the exchange for exchange traded options. Brokers can ask for margin in excess of the minimum in certain circumstances. To the extent amounts due to the Fund from its counterparties are not fully collateralized, contractually or otherwise, the Fund bears the risk of loss from counterparty nonperformance. The Fund may also pay interest expense on cash collateral received from the broker. Any interest expense paid by the Fund is shown on the Statement of Operations. The Fund attempts to mitigate counterparty risk by only entering into agreements with counterparties that it believes have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by monitoring the financial stability of those counterparties.
Investments in derivative instruments may expose the Fund to certain additional risks, including those detailed below.
Options contracts
Options are contracts which entitle the holder to purchase or sell securities or other identified assets at a specified price, or in the case of index option contracts, to receive or pay the difference between the index value and the strike price of the index option contract. Option contracts can be either exchange-traded or over-the-counter. The Fund wrote option contracts, to decrease the Fund’s exposure to equity market risk and to increase return on investments and to protect gains. These instruments may be used for other purposes in future periods. Completion of transactions for option contracts traded in the over-the-counter market depends upon the performance of the other party. Cash collateral may be collected or posted by the Fund to secure certain over-the-counter option contract trades. Cash collateral held or posted by the Fund for such option contract trades must be returned to the broker or the Fund upon closure, exercise or expiration of the contract.
Options contracts purchased are recorded as investments. When the Fund writes an options contract, the premium received is recorded as an asset and an amount equivalent to the premium is recorded as a liability in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and is subsequently adjusted to reflect the current fair value of the option written. Changes in the fair value of the written option are recorded as unrealized appreciation or depreciation until the contract is exercised or has expired. The Fund will realize a gain or loss when the option contract is closed or expires. When option contracts are exercised, the proceeds on sales for a written call or purchased put option contract, or the purchase cost for a written put or purchased call option contract, is adjusted by the amount of premium received or paid.
For over-the-counter options purchased, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount of the premiums paid plus the positive change in market values net of any collateral held by the Fund should the counterparty fail to perform under the contracts. Option contracts written by the Fund do not typically give rise to significant counterparty credit risk, as options written generally obligate the Fund and not the counterparty to perform. The risk in writing a call option contract is that the Fund gives up the opportunity for profit if the market price of the security increases above the strike price and the option contract is exercised. The risk in writing a put option contract is that the Fund may incur a loss if the market price of the security decreases below the strike price and the option contract is exercised. Exercise of a written option could result in the Fund purchasing or selling a security or foreign currency when it otherwise would not, or at a price different from the current market value. In purchasing and writing options, the Fund bears the risk of an unfavorable change in the value of the underlying instrument or the risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market.
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Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
Effects of derivative transactions in the financial statements
The following tables are intended to provide additional information about the effect of derivatives on the financial statements of the Fund, including: the fair value of derivatives by risk category and the location of those fair values in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities; and the impact of derivative transactions over the period in the Statement of Operations, including realized and unrealized gains (losses). The derivative instrument schedules following the Portfolio of Investments present additional information regarding derivative instruments outstanding at the end of the period, if any.
The following table is a summary of the fair value of derivative instruments (not considered to be hedging instruments for accounting disclosure purposes) at June 30, 2018:
  Liability derivatives  
Risk exposure
category
Statement
of assets and liabilities
location
Fair value ($)
Equity risk Options contracts written, at value 52,416
The following table indicates the effect of derivative instruments (not considered to be hedging instruments for accounting disclosure purposes) in the Statement of Operations for the six months ended June 30, 2018:
Amount of realized gain (loss) on derivatives recognized in income
Risk exposure category Options
contracts
written
($)
Equity risk (2,766,217)
 
Change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on derivatives recognized in income
Risk exposure category Options
contracts
written
($)
Equity risk 174,557
The following table is a summary of the average outstanding volume by derivative instrument for the six months ended June 30, 2018:
Derivative instrument Average
value ($)
Options contracts — written (578,410)*
    
* Based on the ending quarterly outstanding amounts for the six months ended June 30, 2018.
Offsetting of assets and liabilities
The following table presents the Fund’s gross and net amount of assets and liabilities available for offset under netting arrangements as well as any related collateral received or pledged by the Fund as of June 30, 2018:
  Deutsche
Bank ($)
Liabilities  
Options contracts written 52,416
Total liabilities 52,416
Total financial and derivative net assets (52,416)
Total collateral received (pledged) (a) (52,416)
Net amount (b) -
    
(a) In some instances, the actual collateral received and/or pledged may be more than the amount shown due to overcollateralization.
(b) Represents the net amount due from/(to) counterparties in the event of default.
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Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
Security transactions
Security transactions are accounted for on the trade date. Cost is determined and gains (losses) are based upon the specific identification method for both financial statement and federal income tax purposes.
Income recognition
Corporate actions and dividend income are generally recorded net of any non-reclaimable tax withholdings, on the ex-dividend date or upon receipt of ex-dividend notification in the case of certain foreign securities.
The Fund may receive distributions from holdings in equity securities, business development companies (BDCs), exchange-traded funds (ETFs), limited partnerships (LPs), other regulated investment companies (RICs), and real estate investment trusts (REITs), which report information on the tax character of their distributions annually. These distributions are allocated to dividend income, capital gain and return of capital based on actual information reported. Return of capital is recorded as a reduction of the cost basis of securities held. If the Fund no longer owns the applicable securities, return of capital is recorded as a realized gain. With respect to REITs, to the extent actual information has not yet been reported, estimates for return of capital are made by the Fund’s management. Management’s estimates are subsequently adjusted when the actual character of the distributions is disclosed by the REITs, which could result in a proportionate change in return of capital to stockholders.
Awards from class action litigation are recorded as a reduction of cost basis if the Fund still owns the applicable securities on the payment date. If the Fund no longer owns the applicable securities, the proceeds are recorded as realized gains.
Federal income tax status
The Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, and will distribute substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, if any, for its tax year, and as such will not be subject to federal income taxes. In addition, the Fund intends to distribute in each calendar year substantially all of its ordinary income, capital gain net income and certain other amounts, if any, such that the Fund should not be subject to federal excise tax. Therefore, no federal income or excise tax provision is recorded.
Dividends to stockholders
In November 2010, the Fund paid its first dividend under the Fund’s managed distribution policy adopted by the Fund’s Board of Directors. Prior to the managed distribution policy, the Fund paid distributions pursuant to a level rate distribution policy. Under its former distribution policy and consistent with the 1940 Act, the Fund could not distribute long-term capital gains, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, more often than once in any one taxable year. In October 2010, the Fund received exemptive relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission that permits the Fund to distribute long-term capital gains more often than once in any one taxable year. After consideration by the Fund’s Board of Directors, the Fund adopted the managed distribution policy which allows the Fund to make periodic distributions of long-term capital gains. Under its managed distribution policy, the Fund intends to make quarterly distributions to Common Stockholders at a rate that reflects the past and projected performance of the Fund. The Fund expects to receive all or some of its current income and gains from the following sources: (i) dividends received by the Fund that are paid on the equity and equity-related securities in its portfolio; and (ii) capital gains (short-term and long-term) from option premiums and the sale of portfolio securities. It is possible that the Fund’s distributions will at times exceed the earnings and profits of the Fund and therefore all or a portion of such distributions may constitute a return of capital as described below. A return of capital is a return of a portion of an investor’s original investment. A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces a Stockholder’s tax basis in his or her shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the Stockholder of his or her shares. Distributions may vary, and the Fund’s distribution rate will depend on a number of factors, including the net earnings on the Fund’s portfolio investments and the rate at which such net earnings change as a result of changes in the timing of, and rates at which, the Fund receives income from the sources described above. The net investment income of the Fund consists of all income (other than net short-term and long-term capital gains) less all expenses of the Fund.
The Board of Directors may change the Fund’s distribution policy and the amount or timing of the distributions, based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, as the Fund’s portfolio and market conditions change, the amount of the Fund’s undistributed net investment income and net short- and long-term capital gains and historical and projected net
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Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
investment income and net short- and long-term capital gains. Over time, the Fund will distribute all of its net investment income and net short-term capital gains. In addition, at least annually, the Fund intends to distribute any net capital gain (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) or, alternatively, to retain all or a portion of the year’s net capital gain and pay federal income tax on the retained gain.
In order to avoid federal excise tax in 2017, the Fund declared a special fourth quarter distribution in the amount of $0.7806 per share of common stock to stockholders of record on December 18, 2017. The distribution was paid on January 23, 2018 and is in addition to distributions made under the Fund’s typical quarterly managed distribution policy.
Dividends and other distributions to Stockholders are recorded on ex-dividend dates.
Guarantees and indemnifications
Under the Fund’s organizational documents and, in some cases, by contract, its officers and directors are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Fund. In addition, certain of the Fund’s contracts with its service providers contain general indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown since the amount of any future claims that may be made against the Fund cannot be determined, and the Fund has no historical basis for predicting the likelihood of any such claims.
Recent accounting pronouncement
Accounting Standards Update 2017-08 Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities
In March 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2017-08 Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities. ASU No. 2017-08 updates the accounting standards to shorten the amortization period for certain purchased callable debt securities, held at a premium, to be amortized to the earliest call date. The update applies to securities with explicit, noncontingent call features that are callable at fixed prices and on preset dates. The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. At this time, management is evaluating the implication of this guidance and the impact it will have on the financial statement amounts and footnote disclosures, if any.
Note 3. Fees and other transactions with affiliates
Management services fees
The Fund has entered into a Management Agreement with Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (the Investment Manager), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (Ameriprise Financial). Under the Management Agreement, the Investment Manager provides the Fund with investment research and advice, as well as administrative and accounting services. The management services fee is an annual fee that is equal to 1.06% of the Fund’s daily Managed Assets. "Managed Assets" means the net asset value of the Fund’s outstanding Common Stock plus the liquidation preference of any issued and outstanding Preferred Stock of the Fund and the principal amount of any borrowings used for leverage.
Compensation of board members
Members of the Board of Directors who are not officers or employees of the Investment Manager or Ameriprise Financial are compensated for their services to the Fund as disclosed in the Statement of Operations. Under a Deferred Compensation Plan (the Plan), these members of the Board of Directors may elect to defer payment of up to 100% of their compensation. Deferred amounts are treated as though equivalent dollar amounts had been invested in shares of certain funds managed by the Investment Manager. The Fund’s liability for these amounts is adjusted for market value changes and remains in the Fund until distributed in accordance with the Plan. All amounts payable under the Plan constitute a general unsecured obligation of the Fund.
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Notes to Financial Statements  (continued)
June 30, 2018 (Unaudited)
Compensation of Chief Compliance Officer
The Board of Directors has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer to the Fund in accordance with federal securities regulations. As disclosed in the Statement of Operations, a portion of the Chief Compliance Officer’s total compensation is allocated to the Fund, along with other allocations to affiliated funds governed by the Board of Directors, based on relative net assets.
Note 4. Federal tax information
The timing and character of income and capital gain distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP because of temporary or permanent book to tax differences.
At June 30, 2018, the approximate cost of all investments for federal income tax purposes and the aggregate gross approximate unrealized appreciation and depreciation based on that cost was:
Federal
tax cost ($)
Gross unrealized
appreciation ($)
Gross unrealized
(depreciation) ($)
Net unrealized
appreciation ($)
228,122,000 109,497,000 (8,828,000) 100,669,000
Management of the Fund has concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions in the Fund that would require recognition in the financial statements. However, management’s conclusion may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, new tax laws, regulations, and administrative interpretations (including relevant court decisions). Generally, the Fund’s federal tax returns for the prior three fiscal years remain subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service.
Note 5. Portfolio information
The cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of securities, excluding short-term investments and derivatives, if any, aggregated to $54,506,702 and $88,904,476, respectively, for the six months ended June 30, 2018. The amount of purchase and sale activity impacts the portfolio turnover rate reported in the Financial Highlights.
Note 6. Dividend investment plan and stock repurchase program
The Fund, in connection with its Dividend Investment Plan (the Plan), issues shares of its own Common Stock, as needed, to satisfy Plan requirements. A total of 240,244 shares were issued to Plan participants during the six months ended June 30, 2018 for proceeds of $5,119,294, a weighted average premium of 0.93% from the net asset value of those shares.
Pursuant to the Plan, unless a Common Stockholder elects otherwise, all cash dividends, capital gains distributions, and other distributions are automatically reinvested in additional Common Stock. If you hold your shares in street name or other nominee (i.e., through a broker), you should contact them to determine their policy, as the broker firm’s policy with respect to Fund distributions may be to default to a cash payment. Common Stockholders who elect not to participate in the Plan (including those whose intermediaries do not permit participation in the Plan by their customers) will receive all dividends and distributions payable in cash directly to the Common Stockholder of record (or, if the shares of Common Stock are held in street or other nominee name, then to such nominee). Common Stockholders may elect not to participate in the Plan and to receive all distributions of dividends and capital gains or other distributions in cash by sending written instructions to American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (AST), 59 Maiden Lane Plaza Level, New York, New York 10038. Participation in the Plan may be terminated or resumed at any time without penalty by written notice if received by AST, prior to the record date for the next distribution. Otherwise, such termination or resumption will be effective with respect to any subsequently declared distribution.
Under the Plan, Common Stockholders receive shares of Common Stock in lieu of cash distributions unless they have elected otherwise as described above. Common Stock will be issued in lieu of cash by the Fund from previously authorized but unissued Common Stock. If the market price of a share on the ex-dividend date of such a distribution is at or above the Fund’s net asset value per share on such date, the number of shares to be issued by the Fund to each Common Stockholder receiving shares in lieu of cash distributions will be determined by dividing the amount of the cash distribution to which such Common Stockholder would be entitled by the greater of the net asset value per share on such date or 95% of the market
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price of a share on such date. If the market price of a share on such an ex-dividend date is below the net asset value per share, the number of shares to be issued to such Common Stockholders will be determined by dividing such amount by the per share market price. The issuance of Common Stock at less than net asset value per share will dilute the net asset value of all Common Stock outstanding at that time. Market price on any day means the closing price for the Common Stock at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange on such day or, if such day is not a day on which the Common Stock trades, the closing price for the Common Stock at the close of regular trading on the immediately preceding day on which trading occurs.
The Fund, under its stock repurchase program, currently intends to make open market purchases of its Common Stock from time to time when the Fund’s Common Stock is trading at a discount to its net asset value, in an amount approximately sufficient to offset the growth in the number of shares of Common Stock issued as a result of the reinvestment of the portion of its distributions to Common Stockholders that are attributable to distributions received by the Fund from its underlying portfolio investments less fund expenses. No shares were purchased in the open market during the six months ended June 30, 2018.
The Fund reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan as applied to any distribution paid subsequent to written notice of the change sent to participants in the Plan at least 90 days before the record date for such distribution. There are no service or brokerage charges to participants in the Plan; however, the Fund reserves the right to amend the Plan to include a service charge payable to the Fund by the participants. The Fund reserves the right to amend the Plan to provide for payment of brokerage fees by Plan participants in the event the Plan is changed to provide for open market purchases of Common Stock on behalf of Plan participants. All correspondence concerning the Plan should be directed to AST.
Note 7. Affiliated money market fund
The Fund invests in Columbia Short-Term Cash Fund, an affiliated money market fund established for the exclusive use by the Fund and other affiliated funds (the Affiliated MMF). The income earned by the Fund from such investments is included as Dividends - affiliated issuers in the Statement of Operations. As an investing fund, the Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of the expenses of the Affiliated MMF. The Affiliated MMF prices its shares with a floating net asset value. In addition, the Board of Directors of the Affiliated MMF may impose a fee on redemptions (sometimes referred to as a liquidity fee) or temporarily suspend redemptions (sometimes referred to as imposing a redemption gate) in the event its liquidity falls below regulatory limits.
Note 8. Interfund Lending
Effective September 1, 2018, pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities Exchange Commission, the Fund is authorized to enter into a master interfund lending agreement (the Interfund Program) with certain other funds advised by the Investment Manager or its affiliates (each a Participating Fund). The Interfund Program allows each Participating Fund to lend money directly to and, other than closed-end funds (including the Fund) and money market funds, borrow money directly from other Participating Funds for temporary purposes through the Interfund Program (each an Interfund Loan).
A Participating Fund may make unsecured borrowings under the Interfund Program if its outstanding borrowings from all sources, including those outside of the Interfund Program, immediately after such unsecured borrowing under the Interfund Program are equal to or less than 10% of its total assets, provided that if the borrowing Participating Fund has a secured loan outstanding from any other lender, including but not limited to another Participating Fund, the borrowing Participating Fund’s borrowing under the Interfund Program will be secured on at least an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding loan that requires collateral. A Participating Fund may not borrow through the Interfund Program or from any other source if its total outstanding borrowings immediately after a borrowing would be more than 33 1/3% of its total assets or any lower threshold provided for by a Participating Fund’s fundamental or non-fundamental policy restriction.
No Participating Fund may lend to another Participating Fund through the Interfund Program if the loan would cause the lending Participating Fund’s aggregate outstanding loans under the Interfund Program to exceed 15% of its current net assets at the time of the loan. A Participating Fund’s Interfund Loans to any one Participating Fund may not exceed 5% of the lending Participating Fund’s net assets at the time of the loan. The duration of Interfund Loans will be limited to the time required to
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receive payment for securities sold, but in no event more than seven days. Interfund Loans effected within seven days of each other will be treated as separate loan transactions for purposes of this limitation. Each Interfund Loan may be called on one business day’s notice by a lending Participating Fund and may be repaid on any day by a borrowing Participating Fund.
Loans under the Interfund Program are subject to the risk that the borrowing Participating Fund could be unable to repay the loan when due, and a delay in repayment to the lending Participating Fund could result in a lost opportunity by the lending Participating Fund to invest those loaned assets and additional lending costs. Because the Investment Manager provides investment management services to both borrowing and lending Participating Funds, the Investment Manager may have a potential conflict of interest in determining that an Interfund Loan is comparable in credit quality to other high-quality money market instruments. The Participating Fund has adopted policies and procedures that are designed to manage potential conflicts of interest, but the administration of the Interfund Program may be subject to such conflicts.
Note 9. Significant risks
Active management risk
Due to its active management, the Fund could underperform its benchmark index and/or other funds with similar investment objectives.
Foreign securities risk
The Fund may invest up to 25% of its Managed Assets in securities of companies organized outside the United States. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks not associated with investments in U.S. companies. Securities markets in certain foreign countries are not as developed, efficient or liquid as securities markets in the United States. Therefore, the prices of foreign securities are often volatile and trading costs are higher. Certain foreign countries may impose restrictions on the ability of issuers of foreign securities to make payments of principal and interest to investors located outside the country, due to blockage of foreign currency exchanges or otherwise. Generally, there is less publicly available information about foreign companies due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards and regulatory practices. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which could cause the Fund to lose money on its investments in foreign securities.
The Fund may invest in securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in “emerging markets” (lesser developed countries). Because of the less developed markets and economics and, in some countries, less mature governments and governmental institutions, the risks of investing in foreign securities can be intensified in the case of investments in issuers domiciled or doing substantial business in emerging markets. These risks include a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries; political and social uncertainties; over-dependence on exports, especially with respect to primary commodities, making these economies vulnerable to changes in commodity prices; overburdened infrastructure and obsolete or unseasoned financial systems; environmental problems; less developed legal systems; and less reliable custodial services and settlement practices.
Issuer risk
An issuer in which the Fund invests may perform poorly, and the value of its securities may therefore decline, which would negatively affect the Fund’s performance. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, breakthroughs in technology, reliance on suppliers, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures, natural disasters or other events, conditions or factors.
Large-capitalization risk
Stocks of large-capitalization companies have at times experienced periods of volatility and negative performance. During such periods, the value of the stocks may decline and the Fund’s performance may be negatively affected.
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Market risk
Market risk refers to the possibility that the market values of securities or other investments that the Fund holds will fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, or fail to rise. An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or even long periods.
Non-diversification risk
A non-diversified fund is permitted to invest a greater percentage of its total assets in fewer issuers than a diversified fund. The Fund may, therefore, have a greater risk of loss from a few issuers than a similar fund that invests more broadly.
Options risk
The Fund engages in transactions in options on securities, indices, exchange traded funds and market baskets of securities on exchanges and in the OTC markets. In general, exchange-traded options have standardized exercise prices and expiration dates and require the parties to post margin against their obligations, and the performance of the parties’ obligations in connection with such options is guaranteed by the exchange or a related clearing corporation. OTC options have more flexible terms negotiated between the buyer and the seller, but generally do not require the parties to post margin and are subject to greater credit risk. OTC options also involve greater liquidity risk.
In addition to writing call options as described above, the Fund may purchase put options. By buying a put option, the Fund will pay a premium to acquire a right to sell the securities or instruments underlying the put at the exercise price of the option. The Fund will lose money if the securities or instruments underlying the option do not decline in value below the exercise price of the option by an amount sufficient to offset the premium paid to acquire the option. To the extent the Fund purchases put options in the OTC market, the Fund will be subject to the credit risk of the seller of the option. The Fund also may write put options on the types of securities or instruments that may be held by the Fund, provided that such put options are secured by segregated, liquid instruments. The Fund will receive a premium for writing a put option, which increases the Fund’s return. In exchange for the premium received, the Fund has the obligation to buy the securities or instruments underlying the option at an agreed-upon exercise price if the securities or instruments decrease below the exercise price of the option.
The Fund will lose money if the securities or instruments decrease in value so that the amount the Fund is obligated to pay the counterparty to the option to purchase the securities underlying the option upon exercise of the option exceeds the value of those securities by an amount that is greater than the premium received by the Fund for writing the option.
The Fund may purchase call options on any of the types of securities or instruments in which it may invest. In exchange for paying the option premium, a purchased call option gives the Fund the right to buy, and obligates the seller to sell, the underlying security or instrument at the exercise price. The Fund will lose money if the securities or instruments underlying the option do not appreciate in value in an amount sufficient to offset the premium paid by the Fund to acquire the option.
Small and mid-cap companies risk
The Fund may invest all or a substantial portion of its Managed Assets in companies whose market capitalization is considered small- or mid-cap. These companies often are newer or less established companies than larger companies. Investments in these companies carry additional risks because earnings of these companies tend to be less predictable; they often have limited product lines, markets, distribution channels or financial resources; and the management of such companies may be dependent upon one or a few key people. The market movements of equity securities of small-cap and mid-cap companies may be more abrupt or erratic than the market movements of equity securities of larger, more established companies or the stock market in general. Historically, small-cap and mid-cap companies have sometimes gone through extended periods when they did not perform as well as larger companies. In addition, equity securities of these companies generally are less liquid than those of larger companies. This means that the Fund could have greater difficulty selling such securities at the time and price that the Fund would like. Smaller-company stocks, as a whole, may experience larger price fluctuations than large-company stocks or other types of investments. During periods of investor uncertainty, investor sentiment may favor large, well-known companies over small, lesser-known companies. There may be less trading in a smaller company’s stock, which means that buy and sell transactions in that stock could have a larger impact on the stock’s price than is the case with larger company stocks.
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Technology and technology-related investment risk
The Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in technology and technology-related companies. The market prices of technology and technology-related stocks tend to exhibit a greater degree of market risk and price volatility than other types of investments. These stocks may fall in and out of favor with investors rapidly, which may cause sudden selling and dramatically lower market prices. These stocks also may be affected adversely by changes in technology, consumer and business purchasing patterns, government regulation and/or obsolete products or services. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to negatively affect technology and technology-related companies. In such an environment, those companies with high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in the companies’ market prices. Further, those technology or technology-related companies seeking to finance their expansion would have increased borrowing costs, which may negatively impact their earnings. As a result, these factors may negatively affect the performance of the Fund. Finally, the Fund may be susceptible to factors affecting the technology and technology-related industries, and the Fund’s net asset value may fluctuate more than a fund that invests in a wider range of industries. Technology and technology-related companies are often smaller and less experienced companies and may be subject to greater risks than larger companies, such as limited product lines, markets and financial and managerial resources. These risks may be heightened for technology companies in foreign markets.
Writing call options risk
A principal aspect of the Fund’s investment strategy involves writing call options on the NASDAQ 100. This part of the Fund’s strategy subjects the Fund to certain additional risks. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected events. The principal factors affecting the market value of an option include supply and demand, interest rates, the current market price of the underlying index or security in relation to the exercise price of the option, the actual or perceived volatility of the underlying index or security and the time remaining until the expiration date.
The Fund intends to write call options on the NASDAQ 100; however, it does not intend to have a portfolio of securities that mirrors the securities in the NASDAQ 100. As a result, during a period when the Fund has outstanding call options written on the NASDAQ 100, the NASDAQ 100 may appreciate to a greater extent than the securities in the Fund’s portfolio. If the call options are exercised in these circumstances, the Fund’s loss on the options will be greater because it will be paying the option holder not only an amount effectively representing appreciation on securities in its own portfolio but also an amount representing the greater appreciation experienced by the securities in the NASDAQ 100 that the Fund does not own. If, at a time these call options may be exercised, the securities underlying these options have market values above the exercise price, then these call options will be exercised and the Fund will be obligated to deliver to the option holder either the securities underlying these options or to deliver the cash value of those securities, in exchange for which the option holder will pay the Fund the exercise price. In either case, the Fund will incur losses to the extent the market value of the underlying securities exceed the sum of the premium the Fund received from writing the call options and the exercise price of the call options, which loss may be very substantial.
To the extent all or part of the Fund’s call options are covered, the Fund forgoes, during the option’s life, the opportunity to profit from increases in the market value of the security underlying the call option above the sum of the option premium received and the exercise price of the call, but has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline below the exercise price minus the option premium received. The writer of an exchange-listed option on a security has no control over when during the exercise period of the option (which may be a single day or multiple days) it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer of the option. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it would be obligated to deliver the underlying security at the exercise price. Thus, the writing of call options may require the Fund to sell portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices other than current market values and will limit the amount of appreciation the Fund can realize above the exercise price of an option.
The Fund may be required to sell investments from its portfolio to effect cash settlement (or transfer ownership of a stock or other instrument to physically settle) on any written call options that are exercised. Such sales (or transfers) may occur at inopportune times, and the Fund may incur transaction costs that increase the costs borne by Common Stockholders. The Fund may sell written call options over an exchange or in the OTC market. The options in the OTC markets may not be as liquid as exchange-listed options. The Fund may be limited in the number of counterparties willing to take positions opposite
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the Fund or may find the terms of such counterparties to be less favorable than the terms available for listed options. The Fund cannot guarantee that its options strategies will be effective. Moreover, OTC options may provide less favorable tax treatment than listed options.
The value of options may be adversely affected if the market for such options becomes less liquid or smaller. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist when the Fund seeks to close out an option position, in the case of a call option written, by buying the option back. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options) at some future date. If trading were discontinued, the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist. However, outstanding options on that exchange that had been issued by the OCC as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms. The Fund’s ability to terminate OTC options will be more limited than with exchange-traded options and may involve the risk that broker-dealers participating in such transactions will not fulfill their obligations.
The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the options markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that would not be reflected concurrently in the options markets. Call options are marked to market daily and their value will be affected by changes in the value of and dividend rates of the underlying common stocks, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the stock market and the underlying common stocks and the remaining time to the options’ expiration.
Additionally, the exercise price of an option may be adjusted downward before the option’s expiration as a result of the occurrence of certain corporate events affecting the underlying equity security, such as extraordinary dividends, stock splits, merger or other extraordinary distributions or events. A reduction in the exercise price of an option would reduce the Fund’s capital appreciation potential on the underlying security.
The Fund’s options transactions will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded. These limitations govern the maximum number of options in each class which may be written or purchased by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written or purchased on the same or different exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities or are held or written in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which the Fund may write or purchase may be affected by options written or purchased by other investment advisory clients of the Investment Manager. An exchange, board of trade or other trading facility may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and may impose certain other sanctions.
Note 10. Subsequent events
Management has evaluated the events and transactions that have occurred through the date the financial statements were issued. Other than as noted in Note 8 above, there were no items requiring adjustment of the financial statements or additional disclosure.
Note 11. Information regarding pending and settled legal proceedings
Ameriprise Financial and certain of its affiliates have historically been involved in a number of legal, arbitration and regulatory proceedings, including routine litigation, class actions, and governmental actions, concerning matters arising in connection with the conduct of their business activities. Ameriprise Financial believes that the Fund is not currently the subject of, and that neither Ameriprise Financial nor any of its affiliates are the subject of, any pending legal, arbitration or regulatory proceedings that are likely to have a material adverse effect on the Fund or the ability of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates
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to perform under their contracts with the Fund. Ameriprise Financial is required to make quarterly (10-Q), annual (10-K) and, as necessary, 8-K filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on legal and regulatory matters that relate to Ameriprise Financial and its affiliates. Copies of these filings may be obtained by accessing the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
There can be no assurance that these matters, or the adverse publicity associated with them, will not result in increased Fund redemptions, reduced sale of Fund shares or other adverse consequences to the Fund. Further, although we believe proceedings are not likely to have a material adverse effect on the Fund or the ability of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates to perform under their contracts with the Fund, these proceedings are subject to uncertainties and, as such, we are unable to estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may result. An adverse outcome in one or more of these proceedings could result in adverse judgments, settlements, fines, penalties or other relief that could have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial condition or results of operations of Ameriprise Financial.
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Approval of Management Agreement
Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (Columbia Threadneedle or the Investment Manager, and together with its domestic and global affiliates, Columbia Threadneedle Investments), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (Ameriprise Financial), serves as the investment manager to Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund, Inc. (the Fund). Under a management agreement (the Management Agreement), Columbia Threadneedle provides investment advice and other services to the Fund and other funds distributed by Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Funds).
On an annual basis, the Fund’s Board of Directors (the Board), including the independent Board members (the Independent Directors), considers renewal of the Management Agreement. Columbia Threadneedle prepared detailed reports for the Board and its Contracts Committee in November 2017 and February, March, April and June 2018, including reports providing the results of analyses performed by an independent organization, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (Broadridge), and a comprehensive response to items of information requested by independent legal counsel to the Independent Directors (Independent Legal Counsel) in a letter to the Investment Manager, to assist the Board in making this determination. Many of the materials presented at these meetings were first supplied in draft form to designated independent Board representatives, i.e., Independent Legal Counsel, Fund Counsel, the Chair of the Board (who is an Independent Director) and the Chair of the Contracts Committee (who is an Independent Director), and the final materials were revised to include information reflective of discussion and subsequent requests made by the Contracts Committee. In addition, throughout the year, the Board (or its committees) regularly meets with portfolio management teams and senior management personnel and reviews information prepared by Columbia Threadneedle addressing the services Columbia Threadneedle provides and Fund performance. The Board also accords appropriate weight to the work, deliberations and conclusions of the various committees, such as the Contracts Committee, the Investment Review Committee, the Audit Committee and the Compliance Committee in determining whether to continue the Management Agreement.
The Board, at its June 18-20, 2018 in-person Board meeting (the June Meeting), considered the renewal of the Management Agreement for an additional one-year term. At the June Meeting, Independent Legal Counsel reviewed with the Independent Directors various factors relevant to the Board’s consideration of management agreements and the Board’s legal responsibilities related to such consideration. Following an analysis and discussion of the factors identified below, the Board, including all of the Independent Directors, approved the renewal of the Management Agreement.
Nature, extent and quality of services provided by Columbia Threadneedle
The Board analyzed various reports and presentations it had received detailing the services performed by Columbia Threadneedle, as well as its history, reputation, expertise, resources and capabilities, and the qualifications of its personnel.
The Board specifically considered the many developments during recent years concerning the services provided by Columbia Threadneedle, including, in particular, the organization and depth of the equity and credit research departments and the various technological enhancements that have been made or are anticipated. The Board further observed the enhancements to the investment risk management department’s processes, systems and oversight, as well as planned 2018 initiatives in this regard. The Board also took into account the broad scope of services provided by Columbia Threadneedle to each Fund, including, among other services, investment, risk and compliance oversight. The Board also took into account the information it received concerning Columbia Threadneedle’s ability to attract and retain key portfolio management personnel and that it has sufficient resources to provide competitive and adequate compensation to investment personnel.
In connection with the Board’s evaluation of the overall package of services provided by Columbia Threadneedle, the Board also considered the nature, quality and range of administrative services provided to the Fund by Columbia Threadneedle, as well as the achievements in 2017 in the performance of administrative services, and noted the various enhancements anticipated for 2018. In evaluating the quality of services provided under the Management Agreement, the Board also took into account the organization and strength of the Fund’s and its service providers’ compliance programs. In addition, the Board reviewed the financial condition of Columbia Threadneedle and its affiliates and each entity’s ability to carry out its responsibilities under the Management Agreement and the Fund’s other service agreements with affiliates of Ameriprise Financial, observing the financial strength of Ameriprise Financial, with its strong cash position and solid balance sheet.
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Approval of Management Agreement  (continued)
The Board also discussed the acceptability of the terms of the Management Agreement (including the relatively broad scope of services required to be performed by Columbia Threadneedle), noting that no material changes are proposed from the form of agreement previously approved. They also noted the wide array of legal and compliance services provided to the Funds under the Management Agreement. It was also observed that the services being performed under the Management Agreement were of a reasonably high quality.
Based on the foregoing, and based on other information received (both oral and written, including the information on investment performance referenced below) and other considerations, the Board concluded that Columbia Threadneedle and its affiliates are in a position to continue to provide a high quality and level of services to the Fund.
Investment performance
For purposes of evaluating the nature, extent and quality of services provided under the Management Agreement, the Board carefully reviewed the investment performance of the Fund. In this regard, the Board considered detailed reports providing the results of analyses performed by an independent organization showing, for various periods, including since manager inception, the performance of the Fund, the performance of a benchmark index, the percentage ranking of the Fund among its comparison group, the product score of the Fund (taking into account performance relative to peers and benchmarks) and the net assets of the Fund. The Board observed that the Fund’s investment performance met expectations.
Comparative fees, costs of services provided and the profits realized by Columbia Threadneedle and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund
The Board reviewed comparative fees and the costs of services provided under the Management Agreement. The Board members considered detailed comparative information set forth in an annual report on fees and expenses, including, among other things, data (based on analyses conducted by an independent organization) showing a comparison of the Fund’s expenses with median expenses paid by funds in its comparative peer universe, as well as data showing the Fund’s contribution to Columbia Threadneedle’s profitability.
The Board considered the reports of its independent fee consultant, JDL Consultants, LLC (JDL), which assisted in the Board’s analysis of the Funds’ performance and expenses, the reasonableness of the Funds’ fee rates, and JDL’s conclusion that the management fees being charged to the Fund are reasonable. The Board accorded particular weight to the notion that the level of fees should generally reflect a rational pricing model applied consistently across the various product lines in the Fund family, while assuring that the overall fees for each Fund (with certain defined exceptions) are generally in line with the "pricing philosophy" currently in effect (i.e., that Fund total expense ratios, in general, approximate or are lower than median expense ratios of funds in an agreed upon Lipper or customized comparison universe). With respect to the Fund, a closed-end Fund, the Board observed that although the Fund’s expense ratio was higher than the comparative closed-end fund peer group’s median expense ratio, the Fund is the only technology-focused fund in the universe. The Board further observed that, unlike many technology-focused open-end funds, the Fund employs a unique options-writing strategy designed to cushion its downside performance. Based on its review, the Board concluded that the Fund’s management fee was fair and reasonable in light of the extent and quality of services that the Fund receives.
The Board also considered the profitability of Columbia Threadneedle and its affiliates in connection with Columbia Threadneedle providing management services to the Fund. In this regard, the Independent Directors referred to their detailed analysis of the Profitability Report, discussing the profitability to Columbia Threadneedle and Ameriprise Financial from managing, operating and distributing the Funds. The Board considered that in 2017 the Board had concluded that 2016 profitability was reasonable and that Columbia Threadneedle generated 2017 profitability that only increased slightly from 2016 levels. It also took into account the indirect economic benefits flowing to Columbia Threadneedle or its affiliates in connection with managing or distributing the Funds, such as the enhanced ability to offer various other financial products to Ameriprise Financial customers, soft dollar benefits and overall reputational advantages. The Board noted that the fees paid by the Fund should permit the Investment Manager to offer competitive compensation to its personnel, make necessary investments in its business and earn an appropriate profit. The Board concluded that profitability levels were reasonable.
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Approval of Management Agreement  (continued)
Economies of scale to be realized
The Board also considered the economies of scale that might be realized by Columbia Threadneedle as the Fund grows and took note of the extent to which Fund shareholders might also benefit from such growth. The Board concluded that there is limited potential for economies of scale that would inure to the benefit of the shareholders given the closed-end nature of the Fund.
Based on the foregoing, the Board, including all of the Independent Directors, concluded that the management fees were fair and reasonable in light of the extent and quality of services provided. In reaching this conclusion, no single factor was determinative. On June 20, 2018, the Board, including all of the Independent Directors, approved the renewal of the Management Agreement.
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Results of Meeting of Stockholders
The 8th Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund (the Fund) was held on April 16, 2018. Stockholders voted in favor of two Board proposals. The description of each proposal and number of shares voted are as follows:
Proposal 1
To elect one director to the Fund’s Board of Directors to hold office until the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and three directors to hold office until the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and until their successors are elected and qualify:
Director For Withheld
George S. Batejan 13,761,918 210,378
Kathleen Blatz 13,739,280 233,016
Edward J. Boudreau, Jr. 13,774,107 198,189
Pamela G. Carlton 13,751,935 220,361
Proposal 2
To ratify the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2018:
For Against Abstain
13,733,906 112,490 125,902
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Additional information
The Fund mails one stockholder report to each stockholder address. If you would like more than one report, please call shareholder services at 800.937.5449 and additional reports will be sent to you.
Proxy voting policies and procedures
The policy of the Board is to vote the proxies of the companies in which the Fund holds investments consistent with the procedures that can be found by visiting columbiathreadneedleus.com/investor/. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities is filed with the SEC by August 31 for the most recent 12-month period ending June 30 of that year, and is available without charge by visiting columbiathreadneedleus.com/investor/; or searching the website of the SEC at sec.gov.
Quarterly schedule of investments
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 is available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov and may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 800.SEC.0330. The Fund’s complete schedule of portfolio holdings, as filed on Form N-Q, can also be obtained without charge, upon request, by calling 800.937.5449.
Additional Fund information
For more information, go online to columbiathreadneedleus.com/investor/; or call American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, the Fund’s Stockholder Servicing Agent, at 866.666.1532. Customer Service Representatives are available to answer your questions Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Fund investment manager
Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC
225 Franklin Street
Boston, MA 02110
Fund transfer agent
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company
6201 15th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11219
Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund  | Semiannual Report 2018
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Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund
6201 15th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11219
  
You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing. You can obtain the Fund’s most recent periodic reports and other regulatory filings by contacting your financial advisor or American Stock Transfer & Trust Company at 866.666.1532. These reports and other filings can also be found on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR Database. You should read these reports and other filings carefully before investing.
Columbia Threadneedle Investments (Columbia Threadneedle) is the global brand name of the Columbia and Threadneedle group of companies. All rights reserved. Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc., 225 Franklin Street, Boston, MA 02110-2804
© 2018 Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC.
columbiathreadneedleus .com/investor/
SAR221_12_H01_(08/18)


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Item 2. Code of Ethics.

Not applicable for semiannual reports.

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.

Not applicable for semiannual reports.

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

Not applicable for semiannual reports.

Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.

Not applicable for semiannual reports.

Item 6. Investments

 

  (a)

The registrant’s “Schedule I – Investments in securities of unaffiliated issuers” (as set forth in 17 CFR 210.12-12) is included in Item 1 of this Form N-CSR.

 

  (b)

Not applicable.

Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable for semiannual reports.

Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable for semiannual reports.

Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.

The Fund has a share repurchase plan approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors, which authorizes repurchases of the Fund’s common stock in the open market at times when shares are trading at a discount from NAV and in an amount approximately sufficient to offset the growth in the number of common shares attributable to the reinvestment of the portion of its distributions to common stockholders attributable to distributions received from portfolio investments less Fund expenses. The Fund has not repurchased shares during the period.


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Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

There were no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s board of directors.

Item 11. Controls and Procedures.

 

  (a)

The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officers, based on their evaluation of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing of this report, have concluded that such controls and procedures are adequately designed to ensure that material information required to be disclosed by the registrant in Form N-CSR is accumulated and communicated to the registrant’s management, including the principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

  (b)

There was no change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 12. Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies

Not applicable.

Item 13. Exhibits.

(a)(1) Code of ethics required to be disclosed under Item 2 of Form N-CSR: Not applicable for semiannual reports.

(a)(2) Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-2(a)) attached hereto as Exhibit 99.CERT.

(a)(3) Not applicable.

(b) Certification pursuant to Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-2(b)) attached hereto as Exhibit 99.906CERT.


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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)   Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund, Inc.                

 

By (Signature and Title)                   /s/ Christopher O. Petersen
    Christopher O. Petersen, President and Principal Executive Officer
Date                       August 20, 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 (Signature and Title)                   /s/ Christopher O. Petersen
    Christopher O. Petersen, President and Principal Executive Officer
Date                       August 20, 2018

 

By (Signature and Title)               /s/ Michael G. Clarke     
    Michael G. Clarke, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
Date                       August 20, 2018