nvq
 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-Q
QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY
Investment Company Act file number 811-04700
The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc.
 
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
One Corporate Center
Rye, New York 10580-1422
 
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
Bruce N. Alpert
Gabelli Funds, LLC
One Corporate Center
Rye, New York 10580-1422
 
(Name and address of agent for service)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 1-800-422-3554
Date of fiscal year end: December 31
Date of reporting period: March 31, 2011
Form N-Q is to be used by management investment companies, other than small business investment companies registered on Form N-5 (§§ 239.24 and 274.5 of this chapter), to file reports with the Commission, not later than 60 days after the close of the first and third fiscal quarters, pursuant to rule 30b1-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30b1-5). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-Q in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.
A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-Q, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-Q 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 the Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The OMB has reviewed this collection of information under the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. § 3507.
 
 

 


 

Item 1.   Schedule of Investments.
The Schedule(s) of Investments is attached herewith.
The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc.
First Quarter Report
March 31, 2011
         
 
  (PHOTO OF MARIO J. GABELLI)   (PHOTO OF ZAHID SIDDIQUE)
 
  Mario J. Gabelli, CFA   Zahid Siddique
To Our Shareholders,
     During the first quarter of 2011, The Gabelli Equity Trust’s (the “Fund”) net asset value (“NAV”) total return was 8.5% compared with the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) 500 Index of 5.9% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average of 7.1%. The total return for the Fund’s publicly traded shares was 11.3% during the first quarter of 2011.
     Enclosed is the investment portfolio as of March 31, 2011.
Comparative Results
Average Annual Returns through March 31, 2011 (a) (Unaudited)
                                                                 
                                                            Since
                                                            Inception
    Quarter   1 Year   3 Year   5 Year   10 Year   15 Year   20 Year   (08/21/86)
Gabelli Equity Trust
                                                               
NAV Total Return (b)
    8.52 %     27.83 %     5.17 %     6.33 %     7.90 %     9.28 %     10.26 %     10.85 %
Investment Total Return (c)
    11.33       34.04       2.43       6.36       6.31       9.24       10.16       10.44  
S&P 500 Index
    5.92       15.65       2.35       2.62       3.29       6.80       8.72       9.47 (d)
Dow Jones Industrial Average
    7.07       16.49       3.13       4.85       4.74       7.77       10.05       10.77 (d)
Nasdaq Composite Index
    5.05       17.19       7.92       4.44       4.96       6.98       9.15       8.39 (d)
 
(a)   Returns represent past performance and do not guarantee future results. Investment returns and the principal value of an investment will fluctuate. When shares are sold, they may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data presented. Visit www.gabelli.com for performance information as of the most recent month end. Performance returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an unmanaged index of 30 large capitalization stocks. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite Indices are unmanaged indicators of stock market performance. Dividends are considered reinvested except for the Nasdaq Composite Index. You cannot invest directly in an index.
 
(b)   Total returns and average annual returns reflect changes in the NAV per share, reinvestment of distributions at NAV on the ex-dividend date, adjustments for rights offerings, spin-offs, and taxes paid on undistributed long-term capital gains and are net of expenses. Since inception return is based on an initial NAV of $9.34.
 
(c)   Total returns and average annual returns reflect changes in closing market values on the New York Stock Exchange, reinvestment of distributions, and adjustments for rights offerings, spin-offs, and taxes paid on undistributed long-term capital gains. Since inception return is based on an initial offering price of $10.00.
 
(d)   From August 31, 1986, the date closest to the Fund’s inception for which data is available.

We have separated the portfolio managers’ commentary from the financial statements and investment portfolio due to corporate governance regulations stipulated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We have done this to ensure that the content of the portfolio managers’ commentary is unrestricted. The financial statements and investment portfolio are mailed separately from the commentary. Both the commentary and the financial statements, including the portfolio of investments, will be available on our website at www.gabelli.com.

 


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
PORTFOLIO CHANGES
Quarter Ended March 31, 2011 (Unaudited)
                 
            Ownership at
            March 31,
    Shares   2011
NET PURCHASES
               
Common Stocks
               
Becton, Dickinson and Co.
    6,500       10,000  
Bell Aliant Inc. *(a)
    2,500       2,500  
Best Buy Co. Inc.
    5,000       10,000  
BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc.
    22,000       40,000  
BP plc, ADR
    15,000       123,000  
Cephalon Inc.
    4,000       5,000  
Cisco Systems Inc.
    15,000       35,000  
Covidien plc (b)
    49,000       49,000  
CVS Caremark Corp.
    5,000       120,000  
DISH Network Corp., Cl. A
    2,500       102,500  
FirstEnergy Corp. (c)
    13,340       13,340  
Ford Motor Co.
    40,000       40,000  
Fortune Brands Inc.
    15,000       130,000  
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (d)
    4,000       8,000  
General Motors Co.
    15,000       15,000  
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. (e)
    6,000       6,000  
Il Sole 24 Ore SpA
    60,000       560,000  
Imperial Oil Ltd.
    14,000       14,000  
InterXion Holding NV
    50,000       50,000  
iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures
    32,500       45,000  
ITT Corp.
    30,000       270,000  
Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (f)
    7,350       56,350  
Madison Square Garden Inc., Cl. A
    37,500       382,000  
Marathon Oil Corp.
    10,000       22,000  
Media General Inc., Cl. A
    50,000       200,000  
Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (g)
    20,000       20,000  
Motorola Solutions Inc. (g)
    18,000       18,000  
Navistar International Corp.
    16,000       138,000  
NII Holdings Inc.
    15,000       15,000  
SanDisk Corp.
    15,000       15,000  
Sara Lee Corp.
    41,000       691,000  
Smiths Group plc
    10,000       10,000  
Suncor Energy Inc.
    40,000       40,000  
TE Connectivity Ltd. (h)
    55,000       55,000  
Telefonica SA, ADR (i)
    390,000       585,000  
The Boeing Co.
    10,000       127,000  
The Cheesecake Factory Inc.
    10,000       10,000  
Thomas & Betts Corp.
    10,000       257,000  
Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. (j)
    3,000       131,000  
United States Oil Fund LP
    30,000       30,000  
Verizon Communications Inc.
    7,000       155,000  
Vodafone Group plc, ADR
    5,000       71,000  
Xerox Corp.
    10,000       120,000  
Yahoo! Inc.
    55,000       340,000  
 
NET SALES
               
Common Stocks
               
Agrium Inc.
    (5,000 )      
Allegheny Energy Inc. (c)
    (20,000 )      
America Movil SAB de CV, Cl. L, ADR
    (1,000 )     75,000  
American Express Co.
    (2,000 )     522,000  
AMETEK Inc.
    (12,000 )     339,000  
AMR Corp.
    (11,000 )     449,000  
Anadarko Petroleum Corp.
    (2,000 )     34,000  
Apache Corp.
    (4,000 )     63,000  
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.
    (10,000 )     270,000  
Artio Global Investors Inc.
    (8,500 )     61,500  
Ascent Media Corp., Cl. A
    (1,900 )     16,100  
Baldor Electric Co. (k)
    (120,000 )      
Banco Santander SA, ADR
    (1,000 )     72,000  
BBA Aviation plc
    (16,000 )     622,462  
Beckman Coulter Inc.
    (35,000 )      
Bell Aliant Regional Communications Income Fund *(a)
    (5,000 )      
Big Lots Inc.
    (7,000 )      
Biogen Idec Inc.
    (2,500 )     32,500  
BorgWarner Inc.
    (4,000 )     87,000  
Brasil Telecom SA, ADR
    (1,480 )     44,000  
Cablevision Systems Corp., Cl. A
    (20,000 )     1,230,000  
CBS Corp., Cl. A, Voting
    (8,000 )     322,000  
CH Energy Group Inc.
    (1,000 )     60,000  
Cincinnati Bell Inc.
    (30,000 )     720,000  
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc., Cl. A
    (1,000 )     144,000  
CMS Energy Corp.
    (4,000 )     35,000  
CNH Global NV
    (15,000 )     12,000  
Commerzbank AG, ADR
    (31,000 )     79,000  
ConocoPhillips
    (2,000 )     215,000  
Constellation Energy Group Inc.
    (7,000 )     73,000  
Cooper Industries plc
    (5,000 )     190,000  
Corn Products International Inc.
    (1,000 )     30,000  
Corning Inc.
    (10,000 )     450,000  
Curtiss-Wright Corp.
    (10,000 )     335,000  
Dean Foods Co.
    (10,000 )     100,000  
Deere & Co.
    (20,000 )     385,000  
Del Monte Foods Co. (k)
    (20,000 )      
Deutsche Bank AG
    (15,000 )     185,000  
Deutsche Telekom AG, ADR
    (10,000 )     145,000  
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc.
    (5,000 )     5,000  
DIRECTV, Cl. A
    (40,000 )     527,000  
Discovery Communications Inc., Cl. A
    (5,000 )     90,000  
Discovery Communications Inc., Cl. C
    (5,000 )     90,000  
See accompanying notes to schedule of investments.

2


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
PORTFOLIO CHANGES (Continued)
Quarter Ended March 31, 2011 (Unaudited)
                 
            Ownership at
            March 31,
    Shares   2011
NET SALES (Continued)
               
Common Stocks (Continued)
               
Duke Energy Corp.
    (10,000 )     105,000  
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.
    (8,000 )     20,000  
Eastman Kodak Co.
    (15,000 )     135,000  
El Paso Corp.
    (5,000 )     225,000  
El Paso Electric Co.
    (5,000 )     260,000  
Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc.
    (5,000 )      
Fastweb SpA (l)
    (5,000 )      
Flowers Foods Inc.
    (10,000 )     60,000  
Gaylord Entertainment Co.
    (6,000 )     191,000  
GenCorp Inc.
    (20,000 )     285,000  
General Electric Co.
    (3,000 )     212,000  
Genuine Parts Co.
    (7,000 )     265,000  
GrafTech International Ltd.
    (15,000 )     55,000  
Great Plains Energy Inc.
    (10,000 )     15,000  
Greif Inc., Cl. A
    (2,000 )     183,000  
Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV, Cl. A
    (70,000 )     590,000  
Grupo Televisa SA, ADR
    (19,196 )     655,804  
Interval Leisure Group Inc.
    (2,500 )     34,500  
J. Crew Group Inc.
    (5,000 )      
Johnson & Johnson
    (3,000 )     42,000  
Johnson Controls Inc.
    (18,000 )     151,000  
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
    (2,000 )     59,088  
Kraft Foods Inc., Cl. A
    (2,278 )     160,000  
Liberty Global Inc., Cl. A
    (12,000 )     110,000  
Liberty Global Inc., Cl. C
    (12,000 )     110,000  
Liberty Media Corp. — Capital, Cl.A
    (1,000 )     76,000  
Liberty Media Corp. — Interactive, Cl. A
    (10,000 )     205,000  
Liberty Media Corp. — Starz, Cl. A
    (3,000 )     24,000  
LIN TV Corp., Cl. A
    (4,000 )     36,000  
Lufkin Industries Inc.
    (1,500 )     202,500  
Massey Energy Co.
    (5,000 )      
MEMC Electronic Materials Inc.
    (20,000 )      
MGM Resorts International
    (4,000 )     25,000  
Motorola Inc. (g)
    (200,000 )      
National Presto Industries Inc.
    (1,000 )     12,000  
NCR Corp.
    (5,000 )     90,000  
News Corp., Cl. A
    (15,000 )     1,260,000  
Noble Corp.
    (5,000 )     15,000  
Northeast Utilities
    (30,000 )     165,000  
Northrop Grumman Corp. (e)
    (4,000 )     36,000  
NSTAR
    (5,000 )      
Omnova Solutions Inc.
    (3,000 )     267,000  
O’Reilly Automotive Inc.
    (9,000 )     104,000  
PACCAR Inc.
    (6,000 )     81,750  
Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.
    (20,000 )     45,000  
Precision Castparts Corp.
    (1,000 )     88,000  
Qwest Communications International Inc.
    (50,000 )      
Rayonier Inc.
    (1,984 )     23,000  
Republic Services Inc.
    (5,000 )     210,000  
Rollins Inc.
    (7,845 )     1,420,000  
Rolls-Royce Group plc., Cl.C (m)
    (76,800,000 )      
Safeway Inc.
    (10,000 )      
Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., Cl. A
    (1,000 )     119,000  
Skyline Corp.
    (500 )     30,000  
Symantec Corp.
    (10,000 )      
Telecom Argentina SA, ADR
    (1,000 )     27,000  
Telefonos de Mexico SAB de CV, Cl. L, ADR
    (1,000 )     36,000  
Telephone & Data Systems Inc., Special
    (3,000 )     321,000  
The Central Europe and Russia Fund Inc.
    (1,000 )     102,000  
The Charles Schwab Corp.
    (3,000 )     40,000  
The Children’s Place Retail Stores Inc.
    (5,000 )      
The Coca-Cola Co.
    (8,000 )     65,000  
The Hershey Co.
    (3,000 )     53,000  
The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc.
    (10,000 )     320,000  
The Kroger Co.
    (10,000 )      
The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.
    (5,000 )     125,000  
The Mosaic Co.
    (5,000 )     10,000  
The St. Joe Co.
    (14,000 )     150,000  
Time Warner Inc.
    (10,000 )     270,000  
Transocean Ltd.
    (1,000 )     15,000  
Tyco Electronics Ltd. (h)
    (59,000 )      
Tyco International Ltd.
    (7,000 )     200,000  
Tyson Foods Inc., Cl. A
    (5,000 )     70,000  
Visa Inc., Cl. A
    (4,000 )     4,000  
Vivendi
    (10,000 )     380,000  
Walgreen Co.
    (15,000 )     65,000  
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
    (10,000 )     40,000  
Warner Chilcott plc, Cl. A
    (10,000 )      
Watts Water Technologies Inc., Cl. A
    (5,000 )     164,000  
Wells Fargo & Co.
    (3,000 )     287,000  
Westar Energy Inc.
    (5,000 )     245,000  
William Demant Holding A/S
    (1,000 )     63,000  
Wisconsin Energy Corp.
    (4,000 )      
Rights
               
Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., expire 01/26/11 (f)
    (49,000 )      
Warrants
               
GenOn Energy Inc., expire 01/03/11
    (12,183 )      
See accompanying notes to schedule of investments.

3


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
PORTFOLIO CHANGES (Continued)
Quarter Ended March 31, 2011 (Unaudited)
 
*   Denoted in units.
 
(a)   Reorganization — 1 unit of Bell Aliant Inc. for every 1 unit of Bell Aliant Regional Communications Income Fund held. 2,500 units were sold after the reorganization.
 
(b)   CUSIP change from G2554F105 to G2554F113. 3,000 shares were sold after the change of CUSIP.
 
(c)   Merger — 0.667 shares of FirstEnergy Corp. for every 1 share of Allegheny Energy Inc. held.
 
(d)   Stock Split — 2:1
 
(e)   Spin-off — 0.16666 shares of New Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. for every 1 share of Northrop Grumman Corp. held. 4,000 shares of Northrop Grumman Corp. were sold prior to the spin-off.
 
(f)   Rights Exercised — 3 shares of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. for every 20 shares of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., Rights which expire 01/26/11.
 
(g)   Merger — 0.125 shares of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. and 0.1428571428 shares of Motorola Solutions Inc. for every 1 share of Motorola Inc. held. 5,000 shares of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. and 10,571 shares of Motorola Solutions Inc. were sold after the merger.
 
(h)   CUSIP and name change from Tyco Electronics Ltd. (H8912P106) to TE Connectivity Ltd. (H84989104). 4,000 Shares of TE Connectivity Ltd. were sold after CUSIP and name change.
 
(i)   Stock Split — 3 shares for every 1 share held.
 
(j)   Stock Dividend — 0.03 for every 1 share held. 840 shares were sold after the stock dividend.
 
(k)   Tender Offer — $63.50 for every 1 share held.
 
(l)   Tender Offer — €18.00 for every 1 share held.
 
(m)   Tender Offer — £0.001 for every 1 share held.
See accompanying notes to schedule of investments.

4


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS
March 31, 2011 (Unaudited)
                 
            Market  
Shares         Value  
       
COMMON STOCKS — 99.6%
       
       
Food and Beverage — 9.9%
       
  32,000    
Brown-Forman Corp., Cl. A
  $ 2,171,520  
  6,250    
Brown-Forman Corp., Cl. B
    426,875  
  70,000    
Campbell Soup Co.
    2,317,700  
  15,000    
Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.
    409,500  
  100,000    
Constellation Brands Inc., Cl. A†
    2,028,000  
  30,000    
Corn Products International Inc.
    1,554,600  
  225,000    
Danone
    14,698,244  
  600,000    
Davide Campari — Milano SpA
    4,059,409  
  100,000    
Dean Foods Co.†
    1,000,000  
  203,000    
Diageo plc, ADR
    15,472,660  
  100,000    
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.
    3,716,000  
  60,000    
Flowers Foods Inc.
    1,633,800  
  85,000    
Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV, ADR
    4,989,500  
  40,000    
General Mills Inc.
    1,462,000  
  590,000    
Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV, Cl. A
    5,002,459  
  84,000    
H.J. Heinz Co.
    4,100,880  
  39,000    
Heineken NV
    2,130,956  
  120,000    
ITO EN Ltd.
    2,090,406  
  15,000    
ITO EN Ltd., Preference
    198,365  
  14,000    
Kellogg Co.
    755,720  
  66,000    
Kerry Group plc, Cl. A
    2,459,964  
  160,000    
Kraft Foods Inc., Cl. A
    5,017,600  
  11,500    
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA
    1,820,456  
  1,000    
MEIJI Holdings Co. Ltd.
    40,214  
  70,000    
Morinaga Milk Industry Co. Ltd.
    249,940  
  25,000    
Nestlé SA
    1,433,043  
  210,000    
PepsiCo Inc.
    13,526,100  
  46,000    
Pernod-Ricard SA
    4,296,080  
  64,000    
Ralcorp Holdings Inc.†
    4,379,520  
  40,673    
Remy Cointreau SA
    3,063,070  
  691,000    
Sara Lee Corp.
    12,209,970  
  65,000    
The Coca-Cola Co.
    4,312,750  
  20,000    
The Hain Celestial Group Inc.†
    645,600  
  53,000    
The Hershey Co.
    2,880,550  
  2,000    
The J.M. Smucker Co.
    142,780  
  131,000    
Tootsie Roll Industries Inc.
    3,715,160  
  70,000    
Tyson Foods Inc., Cl. A
    1,343,300  
  380,000    
YAKULT HONSHA Co. Ltd.
    9,712,431  
       
 
     
       
 
    141,467,122  
       
 
     
 
       
Cable and Satellite — 8.1%
       
  1,230,000    
Cablevision Systems Corp., Cl. A
    42,570,300  
  105,000    
Comcast Corp., Cl. A, Special
    2,438,100  
  527,000    
DIRECTV, Cl. A†
    24,663,600  
  102,500    
DISH Network Corp., Cl. A†
    2,496,900  
  30,740    
EchoStar Corp., Cl. A†
    1,163,509  
  110,000    
Liberty Global Inc., Cl. A†
    4,555,100  
  110,000    
Liberty Global Inc., Cl. C†
    4,398,900  
  483,690    
Rogers Communications Inc., Cl. B, New York
    17,606,316  
  19,310    
Rogers Communications Inc., Cl. B, Toronto
    701,892  
  119,000    
Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., Cl. A
    5,960,710  
  155,000    
Shaw Communications Inc., Cl. B, New York
    3,265,850  
  40,000    
Shaw Communications Inc., Cl. B, Non-Voting, Toronto
    843,321  
  70,000    
Time Warner Cable Inc.
    4,993,800  
       
 
     
       
 
    115,658,298  
       
 
     
 
       
Financial Services — 7.9%
       
  522,000    
American Express Co. (a)
    23,594,400  
  19,452    
Argo Group International Holdings Ltd.
    642,694  
  61,500    
Artio Global Investors Inc.
    993,840  
  72,000    
Banco Santander SA, ADR
    843,840  
  130    
Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Cl. A†
    16,289,000  
  10,000    
Calamos Asset Management Inc., Cl. A
    165,900  
  380,000    
Citigroup Inc.†
    1,679,600  
  79,000    
Commerzbank AG, ADR†
    617,780  
  185,000    
Deutsche Bank AG
    10,927,950  
  10,000    
Fortress Investment Group LLC, Cl. A†
    56,800  
  22,000    
H&R Block Inc.
    368,280  
  17,000    
Interactive Brokers Group Inc., Cl. A
    270,130  
  185,000    
Janus Capital Group Inc.
    2,306,950  
  59,088    
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
    2,723,957  
  30,000    
Kinnevik Investment AB, Cl. A
    698,680  
  149,000    
Legg Mason Inc.
    5,377,410  
  127,000    
Leucadia National Corp.
    4,767,580  
  5,000    
Loews Corp.
    215,450  
  155,000    
Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc.
    4,620,550  
  15,000    
Moody’s Corp.
    508,650  
  22,000    
Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC, Cl. A
    359,040  
  120,000    
State Street Corp.
    5,392,800  
  20,000    
SunTrust Banks Inc.
    576,800  
  140,000    
T. Rowe Price Group Inc.
    9,298,800  
  185,000    
The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.
    5,525,950  
  40,000    
The Charles Schwab Corp.
    721,200  
  15,000    
The Dun & Bradstreet Corp.
    1,203,600  
  90,000    
Waddell & Reed Financial Inc., Cl. A
    3,654,900  
  287,000    
Wells Fargo & Co.
    9,097,900  
       
 
     
       
 
    113,500,431  
       
 
     
See accompanying notes to schedule of investments.

5


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)
March 31, 2011 (Unaudited)
                 
            Market  
Shares         Value  
       
COMMON STOCKS (Continued)
       
       
Energy and Utilities — 7.5%
       
  3,500    
AGL Resources Inc.
  $ 139,440  
  34,000    
Anadarko Petroleum Corp.
    2,785,280  
  63,000    
Apache Corp.
    8,247,960  
  123,000    
BP plc, ADR
    5,429,220  
  60,000    
CH Energy Group Inc.
    3,032,400  
  35,000    
CMS Energy Corp.
    687,400  
  215,000    
ConocoPhillips
    17,169,900  
  73,000    
Constellation Energy Group Inc.
    2,272,490  
  5,000    
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc.
    388,500  
  60,000    
DPL Inc.
    1,644,600  
  105,000    
Duke Energy Corp.
    1,905,750  
  225,000    
El Paso Corp.
    4,050,000  
  260,000    
El Paso Electric Co.†
    7,904,000  
  75,000    
Exxon Mobil Corp.
    6,309,750  
  13,340    
FirstEnergy Corp.
    494,781  
  15,000    
GenOn Energy Inc.†
    57,150  
  140,000    
GenOn Energy Inc., Escrow† (b)
    0  
  15,000    
Great Plains Energy Inc.
    300,300  
  200,000    
Halliburton Co.
    9,968,000  
  14,000    
Imperial Oil Ltd.
    714,980  
  22,000    
Marathon Oil Corp.
    1,172,820  
  32,000    
NextEra Energy Inc.
    1,763,840  
  2,000    
Niko Resources Ltd., OTC
    190,720  
  1,000    
Niko Resources Ltd., Toronto
    95,926  
  10,000    
NiSource Inc.
    191,800  
  15,000    
Noble Corp.
    684,300  
  165,000    
Northeast Utilities
    5,709,000  
  19,000    
Oceaneering International Inc.†
    1,699,550  
  100,000    
Progress Energy Inc., CVO†
    14,500  
  185,000    
Rowan Companies Inc.†
    8,173,300  
  5,000    
SJW Corp.
    115,750  
  20,000    
Southwest Gas Corp.
    779,400  
  130,000    
Spectra Energy Corp.
    3,533,400  
  40,000    
Suncor Energy Inc.
    1,793,600  
  20,000    
TECO Energy Inc.
    375,200  
  60,000    
The AES Corp.†
    780,000  
  15,000    
Transocean Ltd.†
    1,169,250  
  245,000    
Westar Energy Inc.
    6,472,900  
       
 
     
       
 
    108,217,157  
       
 
     
 
       
Diversified Industrial — 7.1%
       
  3,000    
Acuity Brands Inc.
    175,470  
  158,000    
Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp.
    4,357,640  
  190,000    
Cooper Industries plc
    12,331,000  
  235,000    
Crane Co.
    11,381,050  
  212,000    
General Electric Co.
    4,250,600  
  183,000    
Greif Inc., Cl. A
    11,970,030  
  12,000    
Greif Inc., Cl. B
    739,200  
  415,000    
Honeywell International Inc.
    24,779,650  
  270,000    
ITT Corp.
    16,213,500  
  10,000    
Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd.
    267,000  
  30,000    
Material Sciences Corp.†
    216,300  
  98,000    
Park-Ohio Holdings Corp.†
    2,024,680  
  1,000    
Pentair Inc.
    37,790  
  10,000    
Smiths Group plc
    208,066  
  20,500    
Sulzer AG
    3,088,949  
  30,000    
Trinity Industries Inc.
    1,100,100  
  200,000    
Tyco International Ltd.
    8,954,000  
       
 
     
       
 
    102,095,025  
       
 
     
 
       
Equipment and Supplies — 6.5%
       
  339,000    
AMETEK Inc.
    14,871,930  
  4,000    
Amphenol Corp., Cl. A
    217,560  
  94,000    
CIRCOR International Inc.
    4,419,880  
  191,000    
Donaldson Co. Inc.
    11,706,390  
  100,000    
Flowserve Corp.
    12,880,000  
  23,000    
Franklin Electric Co. Inc.
    1,062,600  
  60,000    
Gerber Scientific Inc.†
    561,600  
  55,000    
GrafTech International Ltd.†
    1,134,650  
  300,000    
IDEX Corp.
    13,095,000  
  40,000    
Ingersoll-Rand plc
    1,932,400  
  202,500    
Lufkin Industries Inc.
    18,927,675  
  11,000    
Mueller Industries Inc.
    402,820  
  2,000    
Sealed Air Corp.
    53,320  
  70,000    
Tenaris SA, ADR
    3,462,200  
  4,000    
The Manitowoc Co. Inc.
    87,520  
  70,000    
The Weir Group plc
    1,943,820  
  164,000    
Watts Water Technologies Inc., Cl. A
    6,263,160  
       
 
     
       
 
    93,022,525  
       
 
     
 
       
Entertainment — 5.3%
       
  32,000    
Canal+ Groupe
    253,644  
  2,002    
Chestnut Hill Ventures† (b)
    91,191  
  90,000    
Discovery Communications Inc., Cl. A†
    3,591,000  
  90,000    
Discovery Communications Inc., Cl. C†
    3,168,900  
  500    
DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., Cl. A†
    13,965  
  655,804    
Grupo Televisa SA, ADR†
    16,086,872  
  24,000    
Liberty Media Corp. — Starz, Cl. A†
    1,862,400  
  382,000    
Madison Square Garden Inc., Cl. A†
    10,310,180  
  10,000    
Regal Entertainment Group, Cl. A
    135,000  
  270,000    
Time Warner Inc.
    9,639,000  
  100,000    
Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings Inc.
    1,175,763  
  110,000    
Universal Entertainment Corp.†
    3,228,060  
  300,000    
Viacom Inc., Cl. A
    15,987,000  
See accompanying notes to schedule of investments.

6


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)
March 31, 2011 (Unaudited)
                 
            Market  
Shares         Value  
       
COMMON STOCKS (Continued)
       
       
Entertainment (Continued)
       
  380,000    
Vivendi
  $ 10,851,450  
       
 
     
       
 
    76,394,425  
       
 
     
 
       
Telecommunications — 4.5%
       
  65,000    
BCE Inc.
    2,362,100  
  2,500  (c)  
Bell Aliant Inc. (d)
    69,211  
  44,000    
Brasil Telecom SA, ADR
    1,188,440  
  15,801    
Brasil Telecom SA, Cl. C, ADR
    169,703  
  1,100,000    
BT Group plc
    3,275,153  
  7,040,836    
Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd.† (e)
    21,441  
  720,000    
Cincinnati Bell Inc.†
    1,929,600  
  145,000    
Deutsche Telekom AG, ADR
    2,235,900  
  44,000    
Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA
    491,369  
  16,000    
Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA, ADR
    87,520  
  95,000    
Koninklijke KPN NV†
    1,618,293  
  15,000    
NII Holdings Inc.†
    625,050  
  1,100,000    
Sprint Nextel Corp.†
    5,104,000  
  159,000    
Tele Norte Leste Participacoes SA, ADR
    2,787,270  
  27,000    
Telecom Argentina SA, ADR
    669,600  
  600,000    
Telecom Italia SpA
    922,593  
  585,000    
Telefonica SA, ADR
    14,753,700  
  36,000    
Telefonos de Mexico SAB de CV, Cl. L, ADR
    657,360  
  270,000    
Telephone & Data Systems Inc.
    9,099,000  
  321,000    
Telephone & Data Systems Inc., Special
    9,475,920  
  15,000    
TELUS Corp.
    766,942  
  155,000    
Verizon Communications Inc.
    5,973,700  
       
 
     
       
 
    64,283,865  
       
 
     
 
       
Consumer Products — 4.3%
       
  65,000    
Avon Products Inc.
    1,757,600  
  17,000    
Christian Dior SA
    2,393,087  
  12,000    
Church & Dwight Co. Inc.
    952,080  
  9,000    
Clorox Co.
    630,630  
  135,000    
Eastman Kodak Co.†
    436,050  
  95,000    
Energizer Holdings Inc.†
    6,760,200  
  130,000    
Fortune Brands Inc.
    8,045,700  
  2,266    
Givaudan SA†
    2,278,335  
  60,000    
Hanesbrands Inc.†
    1,622,400  
  30,000    
Harley-Davidson Inc.
    1,274,700  
  4,000    
Jarden Corp.
    142,280  
  8,000    
Mattel Inc.
    199,440  
  12,000    
National Presto Industries Inc.
    1,352,160  
  10,000    
Oil-Dri Corp. of America
    213,000  
  56,000    
Reckitt Benckiser Group plc
    2,876,539  
  33,000    
Svenska Cellulosa AB, Cl. B
    531,187  
  890,000    
Swedish Match AB
    29,596,635  
  1,000    
The Estee Lauder Companies Inc., Cl. A
    96,360  
       
 
     
       
 
    61,158,383  
       
 
     
 
       
Automotive: Parts and Accessories — 3.7%
       
  87,000    
BorgWarner Inc.†
    6,933,030  
  157,000    
CLARCOR Inc.
    7,054,010  
  215,000    
Dana Holding Corp.†
    3,738,850  
  265,000    
Genuine Parts Co.
    14,214,600  
  151,000    
Johnson Controls Inc.
    6,277,070  
  135,000    
Midas Inc.†
    1,035,450  
  280,000    
Modine Manufacturing Co.†
    4,519,200  
  104,000    
O’Reilly Automotive Inc.†
    5,975,840  
  175,000    
Standard Motor Products Inc.
    2,420,250  
  45,000    
Superior Industries International Inc.
    1,153,800  
       
 
     
       
 
    53,322,100  
       
 
     
 
       
Health Care — 3.3%
       
  12,000    
Abbott Laboratories
    588,600  
  14,046    
Allergan Inc.
    997,547  
  38,000    
Amgen Inc.†
    2,031,100  
  38,000    
Baxter International Inc.
    2,043,260  
  10,000    
Becton, Dickinson and Co.
    796,200  
  32,500    
Biogen Idec Inc.†
    2,385,175  
  200,000    
Boston Scientific Corp.†
    1,438,000  
  85,000    
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
    2,246,550  
  5,000    
Cephalon Inc.†
    378,900  
  49,000    
Covidien plc
    2,545,060  
  30,000    
Henry Schein Inc.†
    2,105,100  
  15,000    
Hospira Inc.†
    828,000  
  42,000    
Johnson & Johnson
    2,488,500  
  74,000    
Life Technologies Corp.†
    3,879,080  
  51,000    
Mead Johnson Nutrition Co.
    2,954,430  
  100,000    
Merck & Co. Inc.
    3,301,000  
  10,000    
Nobel Biocare Holding AG†
    207,295  
  97,000    
Novartis AG, ADR
    5,271,950  
  95,000    
UnitedHealth Group Inc.
    4,294,000  
  4,000    
Waters Corp.†
    347,600  
  12,000    
Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc.†
    672,120  
  63,000    
William Demant Holding A/S†
    5,455,561  
  7,000    
Zimmer Holdings Inc.†
    423,710  
       
 
     
       
 
    47,678,738  
       
 
     
 
       
Machinery — 2.8%
       
  15,000    
Caterpillar Inc.
    1,670,250  
  12,000    
CNH Global NV†
    582,600  
  385,000    
Deere & Co.
    37,302,650  
       
 
     
       
 
    39,555,500  
       
 
     
See accompanying notes to schedule of investments.

7


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)
March 31, 2011 (Unaudited)
                 
            Market  
Shares         Value  
       
COMMON STOCKS (Continued)
       
       
Consumer Services — 2.5%
       
  100,000    
IAC/InterActiveCorp.†
  $ 3,089,000  
  205,000    
Liberty Media Corp. — Interactive, Cl. A†
    3,288,200  
  1,420,000    
Rollins Inc.
    28,826,000  
       
 
     
       
 
    35,203,200  
       
 
     
 
       
Publishing — 2.4%
       
  560,000    
Il Sole 24 Ore SpA†
    1,047,589  
  200,000    
Media General Inc., Cl. A†
    1,376,000  
  114,000    
Meredith Corp.
    3,866,880  
  1,260,000    
News Corp., Cl. A
    22,125,600  
  20,000    
News Corp., Cl. B
    372,400  
  27,000    
The E.W. Scripps Co., Cl. A†
    267,300  
  125,000    
The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.
    4,925,000  
       
 
     
       
 
    33,980,769  
       
 
     
 
       
Retail — 2.1%
       
  100,000    
AutoNation Inc.†
    3,537,000  
  500    
AutoZone Inc.†
    136,780  
  10,000    
Best Buy Co. Inc.
    287,200  
  40,000    
BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc.†
    1,952,800  
  40,000    
Coldwater Creek Inc.†
    105,600  
  40,000    
Costco Wholesale Corp.
    2,932,800  
  120,000    
CVS Caremark Corp.
    4,118,400  
  29,000    
HSN Inc.†
    928,870  
  390,000    
Macy’s Inc.
    9,461,400  
  50,000    
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc.†
    700,500  
  10,000    
The Cheesecake Factory Inc.†
    300,900  
  40,000    
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
    2,082,000  
  65,000    
Walgreen Co.
    2,609,100  
  22,000    
Whole Foods Market Inc.
    1,449,800  
       
 
     
       
 
    30,603,150  
       
 
     
 
       
Business Services — 2.0%
       
  6,000    
ACCO Brands Corp.†
    57,240  
  16,100    
Ascent Media Corp., Cl. A†
    786,485  
  144,000    
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc., Cl. A†
    2,095,200  
  180,000    
Contax Participacoes SA, ADR
    507,600  
  100,000    
Diebold Inc.
    3,546,000  
  5,230    
Edenred†
    157,837  
  200,000    
G4S plc
    819,430  
  1,000    
Hertz Global Holdings Inc.†
    15,630  
  12,000    
Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd.
    534,480  
  91,000    
Landauer Inc.
    5,598,320  
  40,500    
MasterCard Inc., Cl. A
    10,194,660  
  30,000    
Monster Worldwide Inc.†
    477,000  
  320,000    
The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc.
    4,022,400  
  4,000    
Visa Inc., Cl. A
    294,480  
       
 
     
       
 
    29,106,762  
       
 
     
 
       
Specialty Chemicals — 1.9%
       
  12,000    
Ashland Inc.
    693,120  
  20,000    
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.
    1,099,400  
  455,000    
Ferro Corp.†
    7,548,450  
  4,000    
FMC Corp.
    339,720  
  45,000    
H.B. Fuller Co.
    966,600  
  70,000    
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.
    4,361,000  
  267,000    
Omnova Solutions Inc.†
    2,101,290  
  235,000    
Sensient Technologies Corp.
    8,422,400  
  100,000    
Zep Inc.
    1,741,000  
       
 
     
       
 
    27,272,980  
       
 
     
 
       
Aerospace — 1.9%
       
  622,462    
BBA Aviation plc
    2,029,072  
  27,800    
Kaman Corp.
    978,560  
  4,000    
Lockheed Martin Corp.
    321,600  
  36,000    
Northrop Grumman Corp.
    2,257,560  
  1,200,000    
Rolls-Royce Group plc†
    11,916,064  
  127,000    
The Boeing Co.
    9,389,110  
       
 
     
       
 
    26,891,966  
       
 
     
 
       
Aviation: Parts and Services — 1.8%
       
  335,000    
Curtiss-Wright Corp.
    11,771,900  
  285,000    
GenCorp Inc.†
    1,704,300  
  88,000    
Precision Castparts Corp.
    12,951,840  
       
 
     
       
 
    26,428,040  
       
 
     
 
       
Hotels and Gaming — 1.8%
       
  20,000    
Accor SA
    898,642  
  191,000    
Gaylord Entertainment Co.†
    6,623,880  
  70,000    
Genting Singapore plc†
    113,844  
  34,500    
Interval Leisure Group Inc.†
    564,075  
  1,500,087    
Ladbrokes plc
    3,188,550  
  50,000    
Las Vegas Sands Corp.†
    2,111,000  
  3,900,000    
Mandarin Oriental International Ltd.
    8,151,000  
  25,000    
MGM Resorts International†
    328,750  
  32,000    
Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., Cl. A†
    395,840  
  45,000    
Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.†
    612,900  
  34,000    
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.
    1,976,080  
  200,000    
The Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels Ltd.
    366,649  
  2,000    
Wynn Resorts Ltd.
    254,500  
       
 
     
       
 
    25,585,710  
       
 
     
See accompanying notes to schedule of investments.

8


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)
March 31, 2011 (Unaudited)
                 
            Market  
Shares         Value  
       
COMMON STOCKS (Continued)
       
       
Communications Equipment — 1.8%
       
  35,000    
Cisco Systems Inc.
  $ 600,250  
  450,000    
Corning Inc.
    9,283,500  
  257,000    
Thomas & Betts Corp.†
    15,283,790  
       
 
     
       
 
    25,167,540  
       
 
     
 
       
Wireless Communications — 1.5%
       
  75,000    
America Movil SAB de CV, Cl. L, ADR
    4,357,500  
  10,000    
Millicom International Cellular SA
    961,700  
  20,000    
Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.†
    488,000  
  18,000    
Motorola Solutions Inc.†
    804,420  
  1,500    
NTT DoCoMo Inc.
    2,636,451  
  32,165    
Tim Participacoes SA, ADR
    1,404,002  
  115,400    
United States Cellular Corp.†
    5,941,946  
  56,938    
Vivo Participacoes SA, ADR
    2,299,157  
  71,000    
Vodafone Group plc, ADR
    2,041,250  
       
 
     
       
 
    20,934,426  
       
 
     
 
       
Metals and Mining — 1.2%
       
  15,000    
Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd.
    995,250  
  53,000    
Alcoa Inc.
    935,450  
  85,000    
Barrick Gold Corp.
    4,412,350  
  8,000    
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.
    444,400  
  56,350    
Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.†
    1,547,371  
  52,000    
New Hope Corp. Ltd.
    267,856  
  155,000    
Newmont Mining Corp.
    8,459,900  
       
 
     
       
 
    17,062,577  
       
 
     
 
       
Electronics — 1.2%
       
  20,000    
Bel Fuse Inc., Cl. A
    479,800  
  4,000    
Hitachi Ltd., ADR
    206,520  
  100,000    
Intel Corp.
    2,017,000  
  35,000    
Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV†
    1,125,950  
  75,000    
LSI Corp.†
    510,000  
  2,400    
Mettler-Toledo International Inc.†
    412,800  
  35,000    
Molex Inc., Cl. A
    724,150  
  2,000    
Rovi Corp.†
    107,300  
  55,000    
TE Connectivity Ltd.
    1,915,100  
  275,000    
Texas Instruments Inc.
    9,504,000  
       
 
     
       
 
    17,002,620  
       
 
     
 
       
Broadcasting — 1.1%
       
  322,000    
CBS Corp., Cl. A, Voting
    8,088,640  
  2,000    
Cogeco Inc.
    85,591  
  25,334    
Corus Entertainment Inc., Cl. B, OTC
    542,908  
  6,666    
Corus Entertainment Inc., Cl. B, Toronto
    142,052  
  36,000    
Gray Television Inc.†
    74,520  
  76,000    
Liberty Media Corp. — Capital, Cl. A†
    5,598,920  
  36,000    
LIN TV Corp., Cl. A†
    213,480  
  100,000    
Television Broadcasts Ltd.
    587,513  
       
 
     
       
 
    15,333,624  
       
 
     
 
       
Automotive — 1.0%
       
  40,000    
Ford Motor Co.†
    596,400  
  15,000    
General Motors Co.†
    465,450  
  138,000    
Navistar International Corp.†
    9,567,540  
  81,750    
PACCAR Inc.
    4,279,613  
       
 
     
       
 
    14,909,003  
       
 
     
 
       
Environmental Services — 0.9%
       
  210,000    
Republic Services Inc.
    6,308,400  
  190,000    
Waste Management Inc.
    7,094,600  
       
 
     
       
 
    13,403,000  
       
 
     
 
       
Agriculture — 0.9%
       
  270,000    
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.
    9,722,700  
  21,000    
Monsanto Co.
    1,517,460  
  15,000    
Syngenta AG, ADR
    977,550  
  10,000    
The Mosaic Co.
    787,500  
       
 
     
       
 
    13,005,210  
       
 
     
 
       
Computer Software and Services — 0.8%
       
  45,000    
AOL Inc.†
    878,850  
  10,000    
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.†
    510,500  
  50,000    
InterXion Holding NV†
    650,000  
  90,000    
NCR Corp.†
    1,695,600  
  28,000    
Rockwell Automation Inc.
    2,650,200  
  340,000    
Yahoo! Inc.†
    5,661,000  
       
 
     
       
 
    12,046,150  
       
 
     
 
       
Transportation — 0.6%
       
  449,000    
AMR Corp.†
    2,900,540  
  158,000    
GATX Corp.
    6,108,280  
  3,000    
Grupo TMM SA, Cl. A, ADR†
    7,290  
  6,000    
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.†
    249,000  
       
 
     
       
 
    9,265,110  
       
 
     
 
       
Closed-End Funds — 0.4%
       
  30,000    
Royce Value Trust Inc.
    461,700  
  102,000    
The Central Europe and Russia Fund Inc.
    4,621,620  
  70,957    
The New Germany Fund Inc.
    1,230,394  
       
 
     
       
 
    6,313,714  
       
 
     
See accompanying notes to schedule of investments.

9


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)
March 31, 2011 (Unaudited)
                 
            Market  
Shares         Value  
       
COMMON STOCKS (Continued)
       
       
Real Estate — 0.4%
       
  55,500    
Griffin Land & Nurseries Inc.
  $ 1,785,990  
  150,000    
The St. Joe Co.†
    3,760,500  
       
 
     
       
 
    5,546,490  
       
 
     
 
       
Computer Hardware — 0.1%
       
  15,000    
SanDisk Corp.†
    691,350  
  120,000    
Xerox Corp.
    1,278,000  
       
 
     
       
 
    1,969,350  
       
 
     
 
       
Real Estate Investment Trusts — 0.1%
       
  2,000    
Camden Property Trust
    113,640  
  23,000    
Rayonier Inc.
    1,433,130  
       
 
     
       
 
    1,546,770  
       
 
     
 
       
Exchange Traded Notes — 0.1%
       
  45,000    
iPath S&P500 VIX Short-Term Futures†
    1,321,200  
       
 
     
       
 
    1,321,200  
       
 
     
 
       
Exchange Traded Funds — 0.1%
       
  30,000    
United States Oil Fund LP†
    1,277,400  
       
 
     
       
 
    1,277,400  
       
 
     
 
       
Manufactured Housing and Recreational Vehicles — 0.1%
       
  6,400    
Martin Marietta Materials Inc.
    573,888  
  9,500    
Nobility Homes Inc.†
    87,400  
  30,000    
Skyline Corp.
    601,500  
       
 
     
       
 
    1,262,788  
       
 
     
       
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS
    1,428,793,118  
       
 
     
 
       
CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCKS — 0.1%
       
       
Telecommunications — 0.1%
       
  23,000    
Cincinnati Bell Inc., 6.750% Cv. Pfd., Ser. B
    906,200  
       
 
     
 
       
TOTAL CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCKS
    906,200  
       
 
     
 
       
WARRANTS — 0.0%
       
       
Retail — 0.0%
       
  150,000    
Talbots Inc., expire 04/06/15†
    90,000  
       
 
     
 
       
CONVERTIBLE CORPORATE BONDS — 0.2%
       
       
Diversified Industrial — 0.2%
       
$ 2,000,000    
Griffon Corp., Sub. Deb. Cv., 4.000%, 01/15/17 (d)
    2,252,500  
       
 
     
       
 
    2,252,500  
       
 
     
 
       
Retail — 0.0%
       
  2,000,000    
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Inc., Cv., 5.125%, 06/15/11†
    680,000  
       
 
     
 
       
TOTAL CONVERTIBLE CORPORATE BONDS
    2,932,500  
       
 
     
 
       
CORPORATE BONDS — 0.0%
       
       
Consumer Products — 0.0%
       
  1,000,000    
Pillowtex Corp., Sub. Deb., 9.000%, 12/15/11† (b)
    0  
       
 
     
       
TOTAL CORPORATE BONDS
    0  
       
 
     
 
       
U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS — 0.1%
       
  1,320,000    
U.S. Treasury Bills,
       
       
0.150% to 0.180%††,
       
       
06/30/11 to 08/04/11 (a)
    1,319,587  
       
 
     
 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS — 100.0%
       (Cost $929,385,800)
  $ 1,434,041,405  
       
 
     
       
Aggregate tax cost
  $ 943,769,592  
       
 
     
       
Gross unrealized appreciation
  $ 574,523,938  
       
Gross unrealized depreciation
    (84,252,125 )
       
 
     
 
       
Net unrealized appreciation/ depreciation
  $ 490,271,813  
       
 
     
                         
Notional         Termination     Unrealized  
Amount         Date     Appreciation  
       
EQUITY CONTRACT FOR DIFFERENCE SWAP AGREEMENT
               
$ 557,584    
 
               
(60,000 Shares)  
Rolls-Royce Group plc
    06/27/11     $ 28,884  
       
 
             
See accompanying notes to schedule of investments.

10


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)
March 31, 2011 (Unaudited)
                         
Number of         Expiration     Unrealized  
Contracts         Date     Depreciation  
        FUTURES CONTRACTS — SHORT POSITION        
  610    
S&P 500 E-Mini Futures (f)
    06/17/11     $ (940,800 )
                   
 
(a)   Security, or a portion thereof, with a value of $5,519,653 were pledged as collateral for futures contracts.
 
(b)   Security fair valued under procedures established by the Board of Directors. The procedures may include reviewing available financial information about the company and reviewing the valuation of comparable securities and other factors on a regular basis. At March 31, 2011, the market value of fair valued securities amounted to $91,191 or 0.01% of total investments.
 
(c)   Denoted in units.
 
(d)   Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This security may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At March 31, 2011, the market value of the Rule 144A security amounted to $2,321,711 or 0.16% of total investments.
 
(e)   At March 31, 2011, the Fund held an investment in a restricted security amounting to $21,441 or 0.00% of total investments, which was valued under methods approved by the Board of Directors as follows: (f) At March 31, 2011, the Fund has entered into futures contracts with UBS AG.
                                 
                            03/31/11  
Acquisition         Acquisition     Acquisition     Carrying Value  
Shares     Issuer   Date     Cost     Per Unit  
  7,040,836    
Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd.
    09/30/93     $ 128,658     $ 0.0030  
 
  Non-income producing security.
 
††   Represents annualized yield at date of purchase.
 
ADR   American Depositary Receipt
 
CVO   Contingent Value Obligation
                 
    % of        
    Market     Market  
Geographic Diversification   Value     Value  
North America
    80.8 %   $ 1,159,166,742  
Europe
    14.2       203,861,444  
Latin America
    2.9       41,186,727  
Japan
    1.4       19,538,150  
Asia/Pacific
    0.7       10,288,342  
 
           
Total Investments
    100.0 %   $ 1,434,041,405  
 
           
See accompanying notes to schedule of investments.

11


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
NOTES TO SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited)
     The Fund’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), which may require the use of management estimates and assumptions. 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. Portfolio securities listed or traded on a nationally recognized securities exchange or traded in the U.S. over-the-counter market for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last quoted sale price or a market’s official closing price as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued. If there were no sales that day, the security is valued at the average of the closing bid and asked prices or, if there were no asked prices quoted on that day, then the security is valued at the closing bid price on that day. If no bid or asked prices are quoted on such day, the security is valued at the most recently available price or, if the Board of Directors (the “Board”) so determines, by such other method as the Board shall determine in good faith to reflect its fair market value. Portfolio securities traded on more than one national securities exchange or market are valued according to the broadest and most representative market, as determined by Gabelli Funds, LLC (the “Adviser”).
     Portfolio securities primarily traded on a foreign market are generally valued at the preceding closing values of such securities on the relevant market, but may be fair valued pursuant to procedures established by the Board if market conditions change significantly after the close of the foreign market, but prior to the close of business on the day the securities are being valued. Debt instruments with remaining maturities of sixty days or less that are not credit impaired are valued at amortized cost, unless the Board determines such amount does not reflect the securities’ fair value, in which case these securities will be fair valued as determined by the Board. Debt instruments having a maturity greater than sixty days for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the average of the latest bid and asked prices. If there were no asked prices quoted on such day, the security is valued using the closing bid price. U.S. government obligations with maturities greater than sixty days are normally valued using a model that incorporates market observable data such as reported sales of similar securities, broker quotes, yields, bids, offers, and reference data. Certain securities are valued principally using dealer quotations. Futures contracts are valued at the closing settlement price of the exchange or board of trade on which the applicable contract is traded.
     Securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available are fair valued as determined by the Board. Fair valuation methodologies and procedures may include, but are not limited to: analysis and review of available financial and non-financial information about the company; comparisons with the valuation and changes in valuation of similar securities, including a comparison of foreign securities with the equivalent U.S. dollar value ADR securities at the close of the U.S. exchange; and evaluation of any other information that could be indicative of the value of the security.
     The inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value of the Fund’s investments are summarized into three levels as described in the hierarchy below:
    Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities;
 
    Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.); and
 
    Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s determinations as to the fair value of investments).

12


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
NOTES TO SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued) (Unaudited)
     A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input both individually and in aggregate that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. The summary of the Fund’s investments in securities and other financial instruments by inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of March 31, 2011 is as follows:
                                 
    Valuation Inputs        
    Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  
    Quoted     Other Significant     Significant     Market Value  
    Prices     Observable Inputs     Unobservable Inputs     at 3/31/11  
INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES:
                               
ASSETS (Market Value):
                               
Common Stocks:
                               
Energy and Utilities
  $ 108,217,157           $ 0     $ 108,217,157  
Entertainment
    76,303,234             91,191       76,394,425  
Other Industries (a)
    1,244,181,536                   1,244,181,536  
 
Total Common Stocks
    1,428,701,927             91,191       1,428,793,118  
 
Convertible Preferred Stocks (a)
    906,200                   906,200  
Warrants (a)
    90,000                   90,000  
Convertible Corporate Bonds
    680,000     $ 2,252,500             2,932,500  
Corporate Bonds
                0       0  
U.S. Government Obligations
          1,319,587             1,319,587  
 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES — ASSETS
  $ 1,430,378,127     $ 3,572,087     $ 91,191     $ 1,434,041,405  
 
OTHER FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS:
                               
ASSETS (Unrealized Appreciation): *
                               
EQUITY CONTRACT
                               
Contract for Difference Swap Agreement
  $     $ 28,884     $     $ 28,884  
LIABILITIES (Unrealized Depreciation):*
                               
EQUITY CONTRACTS
                               
Futures Contracts Sold (b)
    (940,800 )                 (940,800 )
 
TOTAL OTHER FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
  $ (940,800 )   $ 28,884     $     $ (911,916 )
 
 
(a)   Please refer to the Schedule of Investments (“SOI”) for the industry classifications of these portfolio holdings.
 
(b)   Represents cumulative unrealized depreciation of futures contracts as reported in the Notes to Financial Statements.
 
*   Other financial instruments are derivatives reflected in the SOI, such as futures, forwards, and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation/depreciation of the instrument.
     The Fund did not have significant transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 during the period ended March 31, 2011.

13


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
NOTES TO SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued) (Unaudited)
     The following table reconciles Level 3 investments for which significant unobservable inputs were used to determine fair value:
                                                                                 
                                                                            Net change
                                                                            in unrealized
                                                                            appreciation/
                                                                            depreciation
                            Change in                                           during the
    Balance   Accrued   Realized   unrealized                   Transfers   Transfers   Balance   period on Level 3
    as of   discounts/   gain/   appreciation/                   into   out of   as of   investments held
    12/31/10   (premiums)   (loss)   depreciation   Purchases   Sales   Level 3†   Level 3†   3/31/11   at 3/31/11
 
INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES:
                                                                               
ASSETS (Market Value):
                                                                               
Common Stocks:
                                                                               
Energy and Utilities
  $ 0     $     $     $     $     $     $     $     $ 0     $  
Entertainment
    91,191                                                 91,191        
 
Total Common Stocks
    91,191                                                 91,191        
 
Warrants
    85             (36,353 )     36,268             (0 )                        
Convertible Corporate Bonds
    630,000                                           (630,000 )            
Corporate Bonds
    0                                                 0        
 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES
  $ 721,276     $     $ (36,353 )   $ 36,268     $     $ (0 )   $     $ (630,000 )   $ 91,191     $  
 
 
  The Fund’s policy is to recognize transfers into and transfers out of Level 3 as of the beginning of the reporting period.
Foreign Currency Translations. The books and records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. Foreign currencies, investments, and other assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at the current exchange rates. Purchases and sales of investment securities, income, and expenses are translated at the exchange rate prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions. Unrealized gains and losses that result from changes in foreign exchange rates and/or changes in market prices of securities have been included in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency translations. Net realized foreign currency gains and losses resulting from changes in exchange rates include foreign currency gains and losses between trade date and settlement date on investment securities transactions, foreign currency transactions, and the difference between the amounts of interest and dividends recorded on the books of the Fund and the amounts actually received. The portion of foreign currency gains and losses related to fluctuation in exchange rates between the initial purchase trade date and subsequent sale trade date is included in realized gain/loss on investments.
Foreign Securities. The Fund may directly purchase securities of foreign issuers. Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. The risks include possible revaluation of currencies, the inability to repatriate funds, less complete financial information about companies, and possible future adverse political and economic developments. Moreover, securities of many foreign issuers and their markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers.
Foreign Taxes. The Fund may be subject to foreign taxes on income, gains on investments, or currency repatriation, a portion of which may be recoverable. The Fund will accrue such taxes and recoveries as applicable, based upon its current interpretation of tax rules and regulations that exist in the markets in which it invests.

14


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
NOTES TO SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued) (Unaudited)
Restricted and Illiquid Securities. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its net assets in securities for which the markets are illiquid. Illiquid securities include securities the disposition of which is subject to substantial legal or contractual restrictions. The sale of illiquid securities often requires more time and results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses than does the sale of securities eligible for trading on national securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter markets. Restricted securities may sell at a price lower than similar securities that are not subject to restrictions on resale. Securities freely saleable among qualified institutional investors under special rules adopted by the SEC may be treated as liquid if they satisfy liquidity standards established by the Board. The continued liquidity of such securities is not as well assured as that of publicly traded securities, and accordingly the Board will monitor their liquidity. The Fund held no illiquid securities at March 31, 2011. For the restricted securities the Fund held as of March 31, 2011, refer to the Schedule of Investments.
Derivative Financial Instruments. The Fund may engage in various portfolio investment strategies by investing in a number of derivative financial instruments for the purposes of increasing the income of the Fund, hedging against changes in the value of its portfolio securities and in the value of securities it intends to purchase, or hedging against a specific transaction with respect to either the currency in which the transaction is denominated or another currency. Investing in certain derivative financial instruments, including participation in the options, futures, or swap markets, entails certain execution, liquidity, hedging, tax, and securities, interest, credit, or currency market risks. Losses may arise if the Adviser’s prediction of movements in the direction of the securities, foreign currency, and interest rate markets is inaccurate. Losses may also arise if the counterparty does not perform its duties under a contract, or that, in the event of default, the Fund may be delayed in or prevented from obtaining payments or other contractual remedies owed to it under derivative contracts. The creditworthiness of the counterparties is closely monitored in order to minimize these risks. Participation in derivative transactions involves investment risks, transaction costs, and potential losses to which the Fund would not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The consequences of these risks, transaction costs, and losses may have a negative impact on the Fund’s ability to pay distributions.
     The Fund’s derivative contracts held at March 31, 2011, if any, are not accounted for as hedging instruments under GAAP.
     Options. The Fund may purchase or write call or put options on securities or indices for the purpose of achieving additional return or for hedging the value of the Fund’s portfolio. As a writer of put options, the Fund receives a premium at the outset and then bears the risk of unfavorable changes in the price of the financial instrument underlying the option. The Fund would incur a loss if the price of the underlying financial instrument decreases between the date the option is written and the date on which the option is terminated. The Fund would realize a gain, to the extent of the premium, if the price of the financial instrument increases between those dates. If a written call option is exercised, the premium is added to the proceeds from the sale of the underlying security in determining whether there has been a realized gain or loss. If a written put option is exercised, the premium reduces the cost basis of the security.
     As a purchaser of put options, the Fund pays a premium for the right to sell to the seller of the put option the underlying security at a specified price. The seller of the put has the obligation to purchase the underlying security upon exercise at the exercise price. If the price of the underlying security declines, the Fund would realize a gain upon sale or exercise. If the price of the underlying security increases or stays the same, the Fund would realize a loss upon sale or at the expiration date, but only to the extent of the premium paid.

15


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
NOTES TO SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued) (Unaudited)
     In the case of call options, these exercise prices are referred to as “in-the-money”, “at-the-money”, and “out-of-the-money”, respectively. The Fund may write (a) in-the-money call options when the Adviser expects that the price of the underlying security will remain stable or decline, during the option period, (b) at-the-money call options when the Adviser expects that the price of the underlying security will remain stable, decline or advance moderately during the option period, and (c) out-of-the-money call options when the Adviser expects that the premiums received from writing the call option will be greater than the appreciation in the price of the underlying security above the exercise price. By writing a call option, the Fund limits its opportunity to profit from any increase in the market value of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option. Out-of-the-money, at-the-money, and in-the-money put options (the reverse of call options as to the relation of exercise price to market price) may be utilized in the same market environments that such call options are used in equivalent transactions. During the period ended March 31, 2011, the Fund held no investments in options.
     Swap Agreements. The Fund may enter into equity contract for difference and interest rate swap or cap transactions for the purpose of increasing the income of the Fund or hedging or protecting its exposure to interest rate movements and movements in the securities markets. The use of swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. In an interest rate swap, the Fund would agree to pay periodically to the other party (which is known as the “counterparty”) a fixed rate payment in exchange for the counterparty agreeing to pay to the Fund periodically a variable rate payment that is with the performance of a notional value of shares of a stock. The other will be based on the performance of the shares of a stock. Depending on the general state of short-term interest rates and the returns on the Fund’s portfolio securities at the time a swap transaction reaches its scheduled termination date, there is a risk that the Fund will not be able to obtain a replacement transaction or that the terms of the replacement will not be as favorable as on the expiring transaction.
    During the period ended March 31, 2011, the Fund held no investments in interest rate swap agreements.
     The Fund has entered into an equity contract for difference swap agreement with The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Details of the swap at March 31, 2011 are reflected within the Schedule of Investments and further details are as follows:
                 
Notional   Equity Security   Interest Rate/   Termination   Net Unrealized
Amount   Received   Equity Security Paid   Date   Appreciation
 
  Market Value   One month LIBOR plus 90 bps plus        
    Appreciation on:   Market Value Depreciation on:        
$557,584 (60,000 Shares)   Rolls-Royce Group plc   Rolls-Royce Group plc   6/27/11   $28,884
     The Fund’s volume of activity in equity contract for difference swap agreements during the period ended March 31, 2011 had an average monthly notional amount of approximately $600,564.
     Futures Contracts. The Fund may engage in futures contracts for the purpose of hedging against changes in the value of its portfolio securities and in the value of securities it intends to purchase. Upon entering into a futures contract, the Fund is required to deposit with the broker an amount of cash or cash equivalents equal to a certain percentage of the contract amount. This is known as the “initial margin.” Subsequent payments (“variation margin”) are made or received by the Fund each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the value of the contract, and are included in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on futures contracts. The Fund recognizes a realized gain or loss when the contract is closed.

16


 

THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
NOTES TO SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued) (Unaudited)
     There are several risks in connection with the use of futures contracts as a hedging instrument. The change in value of futures contracts primarily corresponds with the value of their underlying instruments, which may not correlate with the change in value of the hedged investments. In addition, there is the risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid secondary market. Open positions in futures contracts at March 31, 2011 are reflected within the Schedule of Investments.
     The Fund’s volume of activity in equity futures contracts sold during the period ended March 31, 2011 had an average monthly notional value of approximately $35,604,225.
     Forward Foreign Exchange Contracts. The Fund may engage in forward foreign exchange contracts for the purpose of hedging a specific transaction with respect to either the currency in which the transaction is denominated or another currency as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Forward foreign exchange contracts are valued at the forward rate and are marked-to-market daily. The change in market value is included in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency translations. When the contract is closed, the Fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed.
     The use of forward foreign exchange contracts does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the Fund’s portfolio securities, but it does establish a rate of exchange that can be achieved in the future. Although forward foreign exchange contracts limit the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, they also limit any potential gain that might result should the value of the currency increase. In addition, the Fund could be exposed to risks if the counterparties to the contracts are unable to meet the terms of their contracts. During the period ended March 31, 2011, the Fund held no investments in forward foreign exchange contracts.
     The following table summarizes the net unrealized appreciation/depreciation of derivatives held at March 31, 2011 by primary risk exposure:
         
    Net Appreciation/
Asset Derivatives:   Depreciation
 
Equity Contract
  $ 28,884  
 
       
Liability Derivatives:
       
 
Equity Contracts
  $ (940,800 )
Tax Information. The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
At December 31, 2010, the Fund had net capital loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes of $72,413,822 which are available to reduce future required distributions of net capital gains to shareholders. $5,677,952 of the loss carryforward is available through 2016; and $53,348,591 is available through 2017; and $13,387,279 is available through 2018.

17


 

AUTOMATIC DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT
AND VOLUNTARY CASH PURCHASE PLANS
Enrollment in the Plan
     It is the policy of The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc. (the “Fund”) to automatically reinvest dividends payable to common shareholders. As a “registered” shareholder you automatically become a participant in the Fund’s Automatic Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan authorizes the Fund to credit shares of common stock to participants upon an income dividend or a capital gains distribution regardless of whether the shares are trading at a discount or a premium to net asset value. All distributions to shareholders whose shares are registered in their own names will be automatically reinvested pursuant to the Plan in additional shares of the Fund. Plan participants may send their stock certificates to Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (“Computershare”) to be held in their dividend reinvestment account. Registered shareholders wishing to receive their distribution in cash must submit this request in writing to:
The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc.
c/o Computershare
P.O. Box 43010
Providence, RI 02940-3010
     Shareholders requesting this cash election must include the shareholder’s name and address as they appear on the share certificate. Shareholders with additional questions regarding the Plan or requesting a copy of the terms of the Plan, may contact Computershare at (800) 336-6983.
     If your shares are held in the name of a broker, bank, or nominee, you should contact such institution. If such institution is not participating in the Plan, your account will be credited with a cash dividend. In order to participate in the Plan through such institution, it may be necessary for you to have your shares taken out of “street name” and re-registered in your own name. Once registered in your own name your dividends will be automatically reinvested. Certain brokers participate in the Plan. Shareholders holding shares in “street name” at participating institutions will have dividends automatically reinvested. Shareholders wishing a cash dividend at such institution must contact their broker to make this change.
     The number of shares of common stock distributed to participants in the Plan in lieu of cash dividends is determined in the following manner. Under the Plan, whenever the market price of the Fund’s common stock is equal to or exceeds net asset value at the time shares are valued for purposes of determining the number of shares equivalent to the cash dividends or capital gains distribution, participants are issued shares of common stock valued at the greater of (i) the net asset value as most recently determined or (ii) 95% of the then current market price of the Fund’s common stock. The valuation date is the dividend or distribution payment date or, if that date is not a New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) trading day, the next trading day. If the net asset value of the common stock at the time of valuation exceeds the market price of the common stock, participants will receive shares from the Fund valued at market price. If the Fund should declare a dividend or capital gains distribution payable only in cash, Computershare will buy common stock in the open market, or on the NYSE or elsewhere, for the participants’ accounts, except that Computershare will endeavor to terminate purchases in the open market and cause the Fund to issue shares at net asset value if, following the commencement of such purchases, the market value of the common stock exceeds the then current net asset value.
     The automatic reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions will not relieve participants of any income tax which may be payable on such distributions. A participant in the Plan will be treated for federal income tax purposes as having received, on a dividend payment date, a dividend or distribution in an amount equal to the cash the participant could have received instead of shares.
Voluntary Cash Purchase Plan
     The Voluntary Cash Purchase Plan is yet another vehicle for our shareholders to increase their investment in the Fund. In order to participate in the Voluntary Cash Purchase Plan, shareholders must have their shares registered in their own name.
     Participants in the Voluntary Cash Purchase Plan have the option of making additional cash payments to Computershare for investments in the Fund’s shares at the then current market price. Shareholders may send an amount from $250 to $10,000. Computershare will use these funds to purchase shares in the open market on or about the 1st and 15th of each month. Computershare will charge each shareholder who participates $0.75, plus a pro rata share of the brokerage commissions. Brokerage charges for such purchases are expected to be less than the usual brokerage charge for such transactions. It is suggested that any voluntary cash payments be sent to Computershare, P.O. Box 43010, Providence, RI 02940–3010 such that Computershare receives such payments approximately 10 days before the 1st and 15th of the month. Funds not received at least five days before the investment date shall be held for investment until the next purchase date. A payment may be withdrawn without charge if notice is received by Computershare at least 48 hours before such payment is to be invested.
     Shareholders wishing to liquidate shares held at Computershare must do so in writing or by telephone. Please submit your request to the above mentioned address or telephone number. Include in your request your name, address, and account number. The cost to liquidate shares is $2.50 per transaction as well as the brokerage commission incurred. Brokerage charges are expected to be less than the usual brokerage charge for such transactions.
     For more information regarding the Dividend Reinvestment Plan and Voluntary Cash Purchase Plan, brochures are available by calling (914) 921-5070 or by writing directly to the Fund.
     The Fund reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan as applied to any voluntary cash payments made and any dividend or distribution paid subsequent to written notice of the change sent to the members of the Plan at least 90 days before the record date for such dividend or distribution. The Plan also may be amended or terminated by Computershare on at least 90 days written notice to participants in the Plan.

18


 

DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422
Directors

Mario J. Gabelli, CFA
     Chairman & Chief Executive Officer,
     GAMCO Investors, Inc.

Dr. Thomas E. Bratter
     President & Founder, John Dewey Academy

Anthony J. Colavita
     President,
     Anthony J. Colavita, P.C.

James P. Conn
     Former Managing Director &
     Chief Investment Officer,
     Financial Security Assurance Holdings Ltd.

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
     President & Chief Executive Officer,
     American Gaming Association

Arthur V. Ferrara
     Former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer,
     Guardian Life Insurance Company of America

Anthony R. Pustorino
     Certified Public Accountant,
     Professor Emeritus, Pace University

Salvatore J. Zizza
     Chairman, Zizza & Co., Ltd.
Officers

Bruce N. Alpert
     President

Carter W. Austin
     Vice President

Peter D. Goldstein
     Chief Compliance Officer

Molly A.F. Marion
     Vice President & Ombudsman

Agnes Mullady
     Treasurer & Secretary

Investment Adviser
Gabelli Funds, LLC
One Corporate Center
Rye, New York 10580-1422

Custodian
The Bank of New York Mellon

Counsel
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Transfer Agent and Registrar
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Stock Exchange Listing
                         
            5.875%   6.20%
    Common   Preferred   Preferred
NYSE–Symbol:
  GAB   GAB PrD   GAB PrF
Shares Outstanding:
    181,682,556       2,363,860       5,850,402  
The Net Asset Value per share appears in the Publicly Traded Funds column, under the heading “General Equity Funds,” in Monday’s The Wall Street Journal. It is also listed in Barron’s Mutual Funds/Closed End Funds section under the heading “General Equity Funds.”
The Net Asset Value per share may be obtained each day by calling (914) 921-5070 or visiting www.gabelli.com.
The NASDAQ symbol for the Net Asset Value is “XGABX.”

For general information about the Gabelli Funds, call 800-GABELLI (800-422-3554), fax us at 914-921-5118, visit Gabelli Funds’ Internet homepage at: www.gabelli.com, or e-mail us at: closedend@gabelli.com

Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 23(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, that the Fund may, from time to time, purchase shares of its common stock in the open market when the Fund’s shares are trading at a discount of 10% or more from the net asset value of the shares. The Fund may also, from time to time, purchase shares of its preferred stock in the open market when the preferred shares are trading at a discount to the liquidation value.


 

(IMAGE)


 

Item 2.   Controls and Procedures.
  (a)   The registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) are effective, as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(b)) and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d-15(b)).
  (b)   There were no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d)) that occurred during the registrant’s last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
Item 3.   Exhibits.
Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the 1940 Act and Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto.

 


 

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)          The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc.
         
By (Signature and Title)*
  /s/ Bruce N. Alpert
 
Bruce N. Alpert, Principal Executive Officer
   
 
       
Date 5/31/11
       
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/ Bruce N. Alpert
 
Bruce N. Alpert, Principal Executive Officer
   
 
       
Date 5/31/11
       
 
       
By (Signature and Title)*
  /s/ Agnes Mullady
 
Agnes Mullady, Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer
   
 
       
Date 5/31/11
       
 
*   Print the name and title of each signing officer under his or her signature.