Carlyle Secured Lending(US:CGBD)2026-02-25 17:02Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total investment income for Q4 2025 was $67 million, consistent with the prior quarter, as an increase in average portfolio size was offset by a decrease in total portfolio yields due to lower base rates and spreads [21] - Net investment income for Q4 was $24 million, or $0.33 per share on a GAAP basis, and $0.36 per share after adjustments [22] - The net asset value as of December 31 was $16.26 per share, down from $16.36 per share as of September 30 [12] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - CGBD deployed over $1.2 billion and closed over $7 billion of commitments at the platform level in 2025, with Q4 being a record quarter for CGBD with over $400 million of investment fundings [11] - Total investments at CGBD increased from $2.4 billion to $2.5 billion during the quarter, while total investments at the MMCF joint venture increased to over $950 million [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported that 94% of investments were in senior secured loans, with a median EBITDA across the portfolio of $97 million [17] - The average exposure to any single portfolio company was less than 1% of total investments, indicating strong diversification [17] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The core investment strategy remains focused on stable, high-quality credits in the core and upper middle market, with an emphasis on enhancing origination capabilities [10] - The formation of a new joint venture, Structured Credit Partners, aims to increase diversification and portfolio yield, focusing on broadly syndicated first lien, senior secured loans [18] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expects earnings to trough in the first half of 2026 due to base rate cuts, with an anticipated increase in earnings thereafter as portfolios ramp up [23] - The company remains confident in the quality and stability of its portfolio despite market volatility, particularly in the software sector, which has shown exemplary performance with no defaults over the last five years [12][13] Other Important Information - The board declared a first-quarter 2026 dividend of $0.40 per share, with an estimated $0.74 per share of spillover income to support the dividend [22] - The company repurchased $14 million of shares at an average discount of nearly 23% during Q4, resulting in $0.06 of accretion to NAV per share [23] Q&A Session Summary Question: Who will the company take market share from? - The company plans to focus on high-quality companies in the core and upper middle market, leveraging its strong credit culture and industry expertise [33] Question: What is driving borrowing demand and contributing to the strong pipeline flow? - The company is seeing a consistent flow of opportunities in the middle market, with increased activity in sectors like industrials and healthcare [36] Question: What is the rationale for the SCP joint venture? - The SCP joint venture aims to maximize the utilization of non-qualifying asset buckets and leverage the broader Carlyle network for strong expected returns [39] Question: How significant is interest expense in borrowers' overall expense load? - Interest coverage ratios are improving, and borrowers are taking a more conservative approach to leverage, which is beneficial for credit quality [56][58] Question: Is the best incremental dollar the next investment or repurchasing stock? - The company believes in a balanced approach, continuing share repurchases while also investing in joint ventures that are expected to be accretive [61]