In plain terms — BlackRock Health Sciences Trust
Shares currently cost about 0.8% less than the value of the assets behind them (a discount).
Over the past year it has averaged a 4.7% discount, so today's level is not high for this fund (Z-score +1.0). That describes the past; it does not predict where the discount goes next.
It pays regular distributions worth about 7.0% a year of the share price (7.0% of the assets). That is a payout rate, not a return: part of it may be capital being handed back.
Because the shares trade below the value of their assets, each dollar of reinvested distributions buys about $1.01 of assets — a ReinvestCapture™ rate of 7.1%, more than the payout rate itself. That is buying power, not a return.
The assets themselves grew 17.9% over the past year including distributions (NAV total return).
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Price and NAV, past year
Snapshot
Valuation vs. history
| Window | Average prem/disc | Std. dev. | Z-score | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 months | -2.90% | 0.92% | +0.16 | 55 |
| 6 months | -3.21% | 0.81% | +0.56 | 106 |
| 1 year | -4.70% | 2.05% | +0.95 | 208 |
| 3 years | -6.43% | — | — | — |
| 5 years | -4.04% | — | — | — |
Current contemporaneous premium/discount -2.75% (close Oct 14, 2026 vs NAV Oct 13, 2026). 1-year range -8.67% to -0.93%. A negative Z-score means a wider discount than the window average — not that the fund is undervalued.
Performance
| Series | 1M | 3M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y (ann.) | 5Y (ann.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market price return | -0.40% | +4.23% | +7.73% | +17.44% | +4.83% | -1.04% |
| Market price total return | +0.19% | +6.13% | +14.04% | +26.81% | +12.62% | +5.84% |
| NAV return | -0.86% | +2.97% | +2.50% | +9.58% | +3.36% | -0.36% |
| NAV total return | -0.28% | +4.79% | +8.28% | +17.89% | +10.55% | +6.25% |
Through Oct 14, 2026. Total return reinvests distributions at the series value on the ex-date. Cumulative ≤ 1 year, annualised beyond.
About the fund
BlackRock Health Sciences Trust is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc. The fund is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. It invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating in the health sciences and related sectors, which include businesses involved in researching, developing, producing, distributing or delivering medical, dental, optical, pharmaceutical or biotechnology products, supplies, equipment, or services. It also invests through equity derivatives, with an emphasis on option writing. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Russell 3000 Healthcare Index. BlackRock Health Sciences Trust was formed on March 31, 2005 and is domiciled in the United States.
CEF Explorer research page for BlackRock Health Sciences Trust. Figures carry their own dates and sources; a discount to NAV does not guarantee convergence or any return. This is not investment advice.