Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. Announces First Quarter 2024 Results

Reports Net Investment Income of $0.56 per Share

Declares Second Quarter Regular Distribution of $0.45 per Share

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE: NCDL) (“NCDL” or the “Company”), a business development company externally managed by its investment adviser, Churchill DLC Advisor LLC (the “Adviser”), and by its sub-adviser, Churchill Asset Management LLC (“Churchill”), today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.

Financial Highlights for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2024

• Net investment income per share of $0.56
• Total net realized and unrealized gain per share of $0.01
• Net income per share of $0.57
• Net asset value ("NAV") per share of $18.21, compared to $18.13 per share as of December 31, 2023
• Closed on Churchill NCDLC CLO-III, with weighted average pricing of SOFR + 2.11%
• Paid first quarter regular distribution of $0.45 per share on April 29, 2024, which represents a 9.9% total annualized yield based on the first quarter NAV per share
• Declared second quarter regular distribution of $0.45 per share

“As we navigate the evolving credit landscape, we believe that NCDL is well-positioned to benefit from the increase in deal flow owing to Churchill’s position as a leading private credit provider with scale and long-standing private equity limited partner relationships,” said Ken Kencel, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCDL and Churchill. “In the current investment environment, we have a high degree of conviction in our differentiated platform’s ability to deliver strong risk-adjusted returns for our investors.”

“We further diversified and optimized our liability structure by pricing and closing on our third CLO out of NCDL,” said Shai Vichness, Chief Financial Officer of NCDL and Churchill. “With nearly $500 million of liquidity, we are encouraged by the current investment environment and our ability to take advantage of these opportunities. We continue to benefit from the incumbency in our diversified and mature portfolio, which is allowing us to deliver consistent earnings and support our dividend yield.”

Distribution Declaration

The Company’s Board of Directors (the "Board") has declared a second quarter 2024 regular distribution of $0.45 per share payable on July 29, 2024 to shareholders of record as of June 28, 2024. On January 10, 2024, the Board declared four special distributions of $0.10 per share, payable over the next year, the first of which is payable on July 29, 2024, to shareholders of record as of May 13, 2024.

PORTFOLIO AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

As of March 31, 2024, the fair value of the Company's portfolio investments was $1.8 billion across 195 portfolio companies and 26 industries. This compares to $1.6 billion as of December 31, 2023 across 179 portfolio companies and 25 industries.

As of March 31, 2024, the Company’s portfolio based on fair value consisted of approximately 89.0% first-lien term loans, 9.3% subordinated debt investments, and 1.8% equity investments. As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s portfolio based on fair value consisted of 87.0% first-lien term loans, 11.2% subordinated debt investments, and 1.9% equity investments.

For the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company funded $204.3 million of portfolio investments and received $54.9 million of proceeds from principal repayments and sales, compared to $236.1 million and $80.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, respectively.

As of March 31, 2024, the weighted average Internal Risk Rating of the portfolio at fair value remained unchanged at 4.1 (4.0 being the initial rating assigned to investments at origination), as compared to the period ended December 31, 2023. As of March 31, 2024, there was one portfolio company on non-accrual, which represented approximately 0.4% of total investments at amortized cost (or 0.1% of total investments at fair value). As of December 31, 2023, there were no loans on non-accrual.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Investment Income

Investment income, primarily attributable to interest and fees on our debt investments, increased to $51.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, from $34.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, primarily due to an increase in interest income from higher weighted average interest rates and an increase in the Company's deployed capital. As of March 31, 2024, the weighted average yield (based upon fair value) of our debt and income producing investments increased to 11.7%, compared to 11.4% as of March 31, 2023, primarily due to increases in base interest rates.

Net Expenses

Net expenses increased to $21.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to $16.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, primarily due to an increase in interest and debt financing expenses and management fees. Interest and debt financing expenses increased due to higher average daily borrowings, higher average interest rates, the addition of a senior secured revolving credit facility in the second quarter of 2023 and the completion of two debt securitizations on December 7, 2023 and March 14, 2024. The increase in management fees was driven by the Company's deployment of capital and its increased invested balance. Under the terms of the advisory agreement, the Adviser is waiving the incentive fee on income and the incentive fee on capital gains for the first five quarters beginning with the calendar quarter in which the IPO was consummated (i.e., beginning with the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2024 through the calendar quarter ending March 31, 2025).

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of March 31, 2024, the Company had $64.2 million in cash and cash equivalents and $825.5 million in total aggregate principal amount of debt outstanding. Subject to borrowing base and other conditions, the Company had approximately $431.5 million available for additional borrowings under its existing credit facilities, as of March 31, 2024. Net debt to equity was 0.82x and 1.48x as of March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2023, respectively.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST INFORMATION

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. will hold a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2024 financial results today at 11:00 AM Eastern Time. All interested parties may participate in the conference call by dialing [phone] approximately 10-15 minutes prior to the call; international callers should dial [phone]. Participants should reference Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. when prompted.

A live webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Events section of the Company's website at https://www.ncdl.com/news/events. A replay will be available under the same link following the conclusion of the conference call.

About Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (“NCDL”) is a specialty finance company focused primarily on investing in senior secured loans to private equity-owned U.S. middle market companies. NCDL has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. NCDL is externally managed by its investment adviser, Churchill DLC Advisor LLC, and by its sub-adviser, Churchill Asset Management LLC ("Churchill"). Both the investment adviser and sub-adviser are affiliates and subsidiaries of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”) the investment management division of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”) and one of the largest asset managers globally. Churchill is a leading capital provider for private equity-backed middle market companies and operates as the exclusive U.S. middle market direct lending and private capital business of Nuveen and TIAA. Churchill is a registered investment advisor and majority-owned, indirect subsidiary of TIAA.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains historical information and “forward-looking statements” with respect to the business and investments of NCDL, including, but not limited to, statements about NCDL’s future performance and financial performance and financial condition, which involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about us, our current and prospective portfolio investments, our industry, our beliefs, and our assumptions. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “may,” “continue,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “targets,” “projects,” “outlook,” “potential,” “predicts” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond NCDL’s control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in NCDL’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including changes in the financial, capital, and lending markets; general economic, political and industry trends and other external factors, and the dependence of NCDL’s future success on the general economy and its impact on the industries in which it invests. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date on which NCDL makes them. NCDL does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or any other information contained herein, except as required by applicable law.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

(dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

March 31, 2024

 

December 31, 2023

Assets

(Unaudited)

 

 

Investments

 

 

 

Non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments, at fair value (amortized cost of $1,814,985 and $1,666,169, respectively)

$

1,794,559

 

 

$

1,641,686

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

64,146

 

 

 

67,395

 

Restricted cash

 

50

 

 

 

50

 

Interest receivable

 

16,067

 

 

 

17,674

 

Receivable for investments sold

 

422

 

 

 

3,919

 

Prepaid expenses

 

118

 

 

 

13

 

Other assets

$

125

 

 

$

127

 

Total assets

$

1,875,487

 

 

$

1,730,864

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

 

 

Secured borrowings (net of $8,286 and $7,941 deferred financing costs, respectively) (See Note 6)

$

817,214

 

 

$

943,936

 

Payable for investments purchased

 

16,877

 

 

 

—

 

Interest payable

 

11,022

 

 

 

9,837

 

Due to adviser expense support (See Note 5)

 

—

 

 

 

632

 

Management fees payable

 

3,264

 

 

 

3,006

 

Distributions payable

 

24,684

 

 

 

22,683

 

Directors’ fees payable

 

128

 

 

 

96

 

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

4,065

 

 

 

2,789

 

Total liabilities

$

877,254

 

 

$

982,979

 

 

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies (See Note 7)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets: (See Note 8)

 

 

 

Common shares, $0.01 par value, 500,000,000 and 500,000,000 shares authorized, 54,815,740 and 41,242,105 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively

$

548

 

 

$

412

 

Paid-in-capital in excess of par value

 

1,021,573

 

 

 

776,719

 

Total distributable earnings (loss)

 

(23,888

)

 

 

(29,246

)

Total net assets

$

998,233

 

 

$

747,885

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and net assets

$

1,875,487

 

 

$

1,730,864

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value per share (See Note 9)

$

18.21

 

 

$

18.13

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

2024

 

2023

Investment income:

 

 

 

 

Non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments:

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

$

49,078

 

 

$

33,387

 

Payment-in-kind interest income

 

 

1,992

 

 

 

321

 

Dividend income

 

 

308

 

 

 

16

 

Other income

 

 

217

 

 

 

236

 

Total investment income

 

 

51,595

 

 

 

33,960

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses:

 

 

 

 

Interest and debt financing expenses

 

 

16,941

 

 

 

12,743

 

Management fees (See Note 5)

 

 

3,264

 

 

 

2,306

 

Incentive fees on net investment income

 

 

4,459

 

 

 

—

 

Professional fees

 

 

710

 

 

 

590

 

Directors' fees

 

 

128

 

 

 

96

 

Administration fees (See Note 5)

 

 

542

 

 

 

309

 

Other general and administrative expenses

 

 

277

 

 

 

171

 

Total expenses before expense support and Incentive fees waived

 

 

26,321

 

 

 

16,215

 

Expense support (See Note 5)

 

 

—

 

 

 

(14

)

Incentive fees waived (See Note 5)

 

 

(4,459

)

 

 

—

 

Net Expenses

 

 

21,862

 

 

 

16,201

 

Net investment income

 

 

29,733

 

 

 

17,759

 

 

 

 

Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments:

 

 

 

 

Net realized gain (loss) on non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments

 

 

(3,625

)

 

 

6,481

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation):

 

 

 

 

Non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments

 

 

4,057

 

 

 

(11,137

)

Income tax (provision) benefit

 

 

(141

)

 

 

(386

)

Total net change in unrealized gain (loss)

 

 

3,916

 

 

 

(11,523

)

Total net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

 

 

291

 

 

 

(5,042

)

 

 

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

 

$

30,024

 

 

$

12,717

 

 

 

 

 

 

Per share data:

 

 

 

 

Net investment income per share - basic and diluted

 

$

0.56

 

 

$

0.62

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations per share - basic and diluted

 

$

0.57

 

 

$

0.44

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted

 

 

52,758,353

 

 

 

28,727,285

 

PORTFOLIO AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

(information presented herein is at amortized cost; dollar amounts in thousands)

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

2024

 

2023

Investments:

 

 

 

Total investments, beginning of period

$

1,666,169

 

 

$

1,225,573

 

Purchase of investments

 

204,329

 

 

 

99,914

 

Proceeds from principal repayments and sales of investments

 

(54,896

)

 

 

(39,602

)

Payment-in-kind interest

 

1,992

 

 

 

321

 

Amortization of premium/accretion of discount, net

 

1,016

 

 

 

905

 

Net realized gain (loss) on investments

 

(3,625

)

 

 

6,481

 

Total investments, end of period

$

1,814,985

 

 

$

1,293,592

 

 

 

 

 

Portfolio companies at beginning of period

 

179

 

 

 

145

 

Number of new portfolio companies funded

 

23

 

 

 

11

 

Number of portfolio companies sold or repaid

 

(7

)

 

 

(3

)

Portfolio companies at end of period

 

195

 

 

 

153

 

Count of investments

 

414

 

 

 

304

 

Count of industries

 

26

 

 

 

23

 

BPS-3564396CR-Q0524W

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Media: Prosek Partners Madison Hanlon [e-mail]