Sixth Street Specialty Lending(TSLX) - 2025 Q1 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported adjusted net investment income of $0.58 per share, with an annualized return on equity of 13.5%, and adjusted net income of $0.36 per share, with an annualized return on equity of 8.3% for Q1 2025 [8][32] - Total investments decreased to $3.4 billion from $3.5 billion in the prior quarter due to net repayment activity [32] - The weighted average yield on debt and income-producing securities decreased slightly from 12.5% to 12.3% quarter over quarter [24] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q1, the company provided total commitments of $154 million and total funding of $137 million across six new portfolio companies and upsizes to four existing investments [16] - The company experienced $270 million of repayments from seven full and four partial investment realizations, resulting in $133 million of net repayment activity [16] - 89% of total funding this quarter was into new investments, with 11% supporting upsizes to existing portfolio companies [20] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The U.S. direct lending market has seen an imbalance with the supply of capital outpacing demand, primarily due to the growth of retail investor-oriented perpetual non-traded BDC structures [14] - The company anticipates that current uncertainty and volatility will moderate the supply and demand imbalance by slowing inflows into non-traded vehicles [15] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company emphasizes a disciplined capital allocation strategy, with portfolio yields significantly higher than the sector average, at a weighted average yield of 12.5% compared to 11.6% for peers [11] - The company is well-positioned with significant liquidity and capital to invest in what is expected to be a more interesting investment environment [12] - The company plans to maintain a conservative approach to new investments, focusing on risk-adjusted returns and avoiding participation in deals that do not align with shareholder interests [22] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management believes the business remains well protected on the asset side with limited direct exposure to tariffs and is positioned well on the liability side [7] - The company anticipates a quarterly earnings power of approximately $0.50 per share, with potential upside if activity-based fees return to historical averages [10] - Management expressed confidence in the portfolio's credit quality, with non-accruals representing only 1.2% of the portfolio at fair value [26] Other Important Information - The board approved a base quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share and a supplemental dividend of $0.06 per share [12][13] - The company completed two capital market transactions in Q1, including a $300 million issuance of long five-year notes [32] Q&A Session Summary Question: Impact of downward pressure on spreads due to non-traded BDC fundraising - Management noted that retail flows have likely slowed due to market volatility, and the company has a resilient business model that is not solely dependent on sponsor deals [42][44] Question: Outlook for M&A activity - Management is negative on the return of M&A activity in the near term, citing overvaluation of assets and the need for time and growth [51][52] Question: Pricing risk in a volatile environment - Management indicated that the private markets are not effectively pricing risk, but the company uses a fundamental approach to assess asset value and required returns [59] Question: Deployment opportunities in lane two and lane three investments - Management is starting to see more opportunities in these areas but anticipates that more stress is needed across sectors for significant deployment [80] Question: Frequency of capital raises with the ATM program - Management confirmed that there will be no change in the frequency of capital raises, emphasizing that any issuance must be accretive to shareholders [84]