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 [9] - Total investments decreased to $3.4 billion from $3.5 billion in the prior quarter due to net repayment activity [29] - The weighted average yield on debt and income-producing securities decreased slightly from 12.5% to 12.3% quarter over quarter [22] 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 [15] - The company experienced $270 million of repayments from seven full and four partial investment realizations, resulting in $133 million of net repayment activity [15] - 89% of total funding this quarter was into new investments, with 11% supporting upsizes to existing portfolio companies [19] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The supply and demand dynamics in the US direct lending market have been characterized by an imbalance, with the supply of capital outpacing demand [14] - The company anticipates that current uncertainty and volatility will moderate the supply and demand imbalance by slowing inflows into non-traded vehicles [15] - The weighted average spread over reference rate of new investment commitments in Q1 was 700 basis points, compared to 541 basis points for public BDC peers in Q4 [23] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to remain highly selective and disciplined in capital allocation, focusing on risk-adjusted returns [16] - The company believes that periods of heightened volatility often present the most attractive investment opportunities and is well-positioned with significant liquidity [12] - The company has a disciplined capital allocation strategy, with a focus on maintaining higher portfolio yields than sector averages [11] 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 [8] - 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 [24] 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] - The company has approximately $1 billion of unfunded revolver capacity against $175 million of unfunded portfolio company commitments [31] - The company has entered an ATM program to expand its capital raising toolkit, with no shares issued to date [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 emphasized their resilience through a diversified capital allocation strategy [41][44] Question: Pricing risk in a volatile environment - Management indicated that the private markets are not effectively pricing risk, but their deep fundamental investment approach allows them to navigate volatility [55][58] Question: Outlook for lane two and lane three investments - Management expects to see more opportunities as stress increases in the market, particularly in the broadly syndicated loan market [81][84] Question: Impact of banks going risk-off on the liability side - Management expressed confidence in their balance sheet management and noted that recent amendments and issuances have strengthened their position [100][102]