BlackRock Core Bond Trust (BHK): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score

Is BHK undervalued?

At 8.32 (close of 16 Oct 2026), BHK trades 67% below the GLS average fair value of 25.08. That average comes from 6 models run on the latest filings, and 6 of them land above the current price. Margins of safety over 30% are the exception rather than the rule across the ~7,400 stocks we value each night, so the number earns BlackRock Core Bond Trust the full Value points in the Wheel Score - and a closer look at what the market is pricing in.

There is a wide gap between EPV (8.93) and GLS Growth (49.18). When the models are this far apart the "fair value" is really a range, and the margin of safety above should be read with that range in mind.

The nightly engine files BHK under Speculative / Distressed - negative earnings or a Piotroski score of 3 or less - which caps its Wheel Score at 45 and keeps it out of the Sunday Scan.

Nine valuation models for BHK

Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.

Quality and financial health

BlackRock Core Bond Trust scores only 3 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score, which fails the Sunday Scan's "6 or more" rule. A reading this low means several of the basic tests - positive earnings, positive operating cash flow, falling debt, no new share issuance - are not met. A GLS Moat score of 1.1/10 is a weak reading: the ten-year history the score grades (revenue, EPS, book value, margins, cash flow, share count, ROIC) has not been steady, so the Moat part of the Wheel Score contributes little.

Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC 4.9%, ROE 7.3%, ROA 4.9% - with debt at 0.48 times equity and negative free cash flow.

The dividend yield is high at 10.76% (payout ratio 160%) - a payout above 100% of earnings, which is not covered by profits. A yield this size is often the market's way of pricing a risk to the payout, so the health score and cash flow matter more than usual.

Institutional ownership scores 5/10, insider activity 5/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.

Wheel Score 39: No options

No options are listed on BlackRock Core Bond Trust in our nightly snapshot. The Wheel Score is therefore capped at 39 (it reads 39) and the stock is left out of every options screen; the fair value and health figures above are still useful for a plain stock position.

Volume runs at 593k shares a day on a market cap of $601M, with a beta of 0.69 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score gives that 12 of 20.

The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls; it is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. The walkthrough lesson shows how the score fits into a trade, start to finish.

Upcoming events

No upcoming earnings date is recorded for BHK in the nightly calendar. The shares go ex-dividend on 13 Nov 2026 (0.0746 per share), so a covered call sold before then carries a small early-assignment risk around that date.

Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.

Similar stocks in Asset Management - Bonds

The 12 companies below are the closest to BlackRock Core Bond Trust by market cap within the Asset Management - Bonds industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.

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