Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation Stock News

BDC net investment income levels are declining as the Fed lowers rates. Despite lower base rates, I see no reason to rotate out of the BDC sector. In the article I detail how BDCs have outperformed the S&P 500 and high yield credit even in prolonged low-rate environments.

This Is How I'm Harvesting BDC Cash Flows For My Retirement. The double-digit yields, term 'private credit,' cases like First Brands and Tricolor are just some examples that introduce a high degree of skepticism. However, if done right, BDCs can bring a lot of value to the table for safe passive income investors.

BDCs face earnings pressure from lower base rates, but fears of severe dividend cuts are overstated. Quite many BDCs have several levers to pull in order to absorb ~100 bps of base rate cuts without touching their dividends. Yet, I would say that the non-accrual risk is understated.

Agency mortgage REITs duel to the dividend cut. There are 7 facing off. The top 3 are much better than the other 4. Valuations are important and awful. Deal with it.

It has become a consensus in the market that many BDCs, sooner or later, will have to deliver unpleasant dividend cuts. For example, the sector average dividend coverage level is 100%, which does not look promising amid a lower base rate environment. Yet, as in the case with almost any average, it consists of several positive and negative outliers.

Oaktree Specialty Lending faces severe portfolio performance issues, with a 6.5% cost-based non-accrual ratio and inconsistent dividend coverage. OCSL's high non-accruals, despite an 83% first-lien allocation, raise significant concerns about loan quality and dividend sustainability. With 91% floating-rate exposure and falling net investment income, OCSL is at high risk of a dividend cut if int...

There is certainly no shortage of arguments why not to invest in BDCs. The sector median BDC trades at a 21% discount to NAV. For me, this provides an opportunity to scoop up unfairly punished gems.

BDCs are facing pressures from multiple fronts. Yet, they do not have much ammo left to fight back via portfolio growth. This is not good for shareholder and BDC managers, who earn fees based on asset size and earnings results.