DSU Blackrock Debt Strategies Fund,

Financial Services · Asset Management

8 · Strong At risk

9.45

-1.25%

About the company

BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc. The fund is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. It invests in fixed income markets of the United States. The fund primarily invests in a diversified portfolio of companies' debt instruments, including corporate loans, which are rated in the lower rating categories of the established rating services (BBB or lower by S&P's or Baa or lower by Moody's) or unrated debt instruments, which are in the judgment of the investment adviser of equivalent quality. It was formerly known as Debt Strategies Fund Inc. BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. was formed on March 27, 1998 and is domiciled in the United States.

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12.49% 171.01% 1.18 594.7M 13.70 0.69 10.01

52w 9.31 10.67

Dividend deep dive

Blackrock Debt Strategies Fund, (DSU) is an Asset Management company operating within the Financial Services sector. It offers a current dividend yield of 12.45%. This yield is higher than its 5-year average of 9.43% and its 5-year high of 11.33%, indicating it may be undervalued based on yield theory. The company's market capitalization is $597.53 million.

Dividend history

DSU currently has a dividend streak of 0 years, meaning it has not consistently increased its annual dividend. However, its 3-year dividend CAGR is 17.52%, and its 5-year CAGR is 6.87%. The company pays dividends monthly. Annual dividend payments have varied, from $0.90 in 2014 to $0.72 in 2016, and then to $0.852 in 2020. More recently, the annual dividend was $1.092 in 2023, with an indicated $1.188 for 2024 and 2025.

Dividend safety

The dividend coverage for DSU presents challenges. The company's payout ratio stands at 171.01% based on earnings, suggesting the dividend is not fully covered by current earnings. Leverage is significant, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.914. Liquidity is notably low, evidenced by a current ratio of 0.083 and a quick ratio of 0.078. From a valuation standpoint, the current yield of 12.45% implies the stock is undervalued according to yield theory, compared to its 5-year average yield of 9.43%. The Chowder number is 19.3, which surpasses the 8.0 threshold.

Key risks

The payout ratio of 171.01% suggests the dividend is not sustainable from current earnings.
Elevated debt-to-equity ratio of 17.914 indicates high financial leverage.
Extremely low current (0.083) and quick (0.078) ratios point to poor short-term liquidity.
A dividend streak of 0 years indicates a history of inconsistent dividend increases.

What to watch

Monitor future changes in the dividend payout ratio.
Observe trends in the debt-to-equity ratio and overall debt levels.
Review quarterly reports for improvements in current and quick liquidity ratios.
Track future dividend declarations to assess consistency and potential for growth.

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AI-generated from Quantic's dividend data · Updated 17 Jul 2026 · Information, not financial advice.