Oaktree Specialty Lending (OCSL) - 2025 Q2 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Adjusted net investment income decreased to $39 million or $0.45 per share from $45 million or $0.54 per share in the previous quarter [5][22] - Net asset value declined to $16.75 per share from $17.63 in the prior quarter [5] - Investments on non-accrual status increased to 4.67% of fair market value and cost, compared to 3.95% in the first quarter [6] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company committed $407 million of capital across 32 investments, compared to 13 investments totaling $198 million in the previous quarter [15] - The weighted average yield on new debt investments was 9.5%, slightly down from 9.6% in the prior quarter [16] - The portfolio's weighted average interest coverage declined to 1.8 times from 2.1 times in the previous quarter [17] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The median EBITDA of portfolio companies increased to approximately $158 million, up $16 million from the prior quarter [17] - The leverage in portfolio companies remained steady at 5.4 times, below overall middle market leverage levels [17] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on larger, more diversified businesses that can withstand uncertain times, emphasizing investments at the top of the capital structure [16][28] - The company is actively managing non-accrual investments and has taken steps to align interests with shareholders, including amending the incentive fee structure and purchasing shares [10][27] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The management noted significant uncertainty in the trade environment due to potential new tariffs and their impact on portfolio performance [28] - There is a cautious outlook on M&A activity, with expectations that many lenders will be more conservative in capital deployment [28] - The company believes it is well-positioned to navigate the current market environment and deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns to shareholders [29] Other Important Information - The company successfully issued new unsecured bonds to refinance existing bonds and amended its senior secured revolving credit facility, reducing interest rates [9][24] - The joint ventures currently hold $440 million of investments, generating attractive annualized ROEs of approximately 10.6% [25] Q&A Session Summary Question: Did the company lean into any liquid markets, structured finance, or syndicated loans in April? - The company was somewhat active but remained cautious due to unresolved tariff situations, experiencing a sell-off in high yield bonds and senior loans [32][33] Question: How successfully has the company been focusing on larger and diversified businesses? - The market conditions have been challenging, but there is a return of larger borrowers into the direct lending market, improving the pipeline for issuing direct loans [36][39] Question: What is the expected run rate for net investment income given the markdowns and changes in non-accruals? - The company is focused on working through non-accrual situations and expects repayments to remain significant despite market volatility [46][52] Question: Is the yield reflective of what the portfolio should generate going forward? - The decline in yield is attributed to reference rate declines and new non-accruals, but the current yield is considered a decent run rate [58][59] Question: What is the expected ROE for the joint ventures over time? - The company aims to achieve an ROE in the 11% to 12% range, depending on the opportunities available [62]