Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. Announces Second Quarter 2024 Results

Reports Net Investment Income of $0.57 per Share

Declares Third 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 June 30, 2024.

Financial Highlights for the Quarter Ended June 30, 2024

• Net investment income per share of $0.57
• Total net realized and unrealized loss on investments per share of $(0.20)
• Net increase in net assets resulting from operations per share of $0.37
• Net asset value ("NAV") per share of $18.03, compared to $18.21 per share as of March 31, 2024
• Paid second quarter regular distribution of $0.45 per share and the first of four special distributions of $0.10 per share on July 29, 2024, which represents a 12.3% total annualized yield based on the second quarter NAV per share
• Declared third quarter regular distribution of $0.45 per share

“I am pleased with the momentum NCDL has maintained, generating net investment income to support an attractive 12.3% annualized dividend yield to shareholders,” said Ken Kencel, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCDL and Churchill. “Our focus on the middle market—coupled with our strong diversification, rigorous investment process, and differentiated sourcing model—positions NCDL to take advantage of the attractive opportunities we see in the private credit market.”

“We have constructed a defensive portfolio, with stable credit quality that is balanced across multiple measures—whether looking at sponsor, position size, or industry,” said Shai Vichness, Chief Financial Officer of NCDL and Churchill. “The fair value of our assets rose to $2.0 billion, and looking ahead we remain confident that we will continue to execute our strategy and provide strong risk-adjusted returns to our shareholders.”

Distribution Declaration

The Company’s Board of Directors (the "Board") has declared a third quarter 2024 regular distribution of $0.45 per share payable on October 28, 2024 to shareholders of record as of September 30, 2024. On January 10, 2024, the Board declared four special distributions of $0.10 per share, to be paid over a one-year period, with the next distribution payable on October 28, 2024 to shareholders of record as of August 12, 2024.

PORTFOLIO AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

As of June 30, 2024, the fair value of the Company's portfolio investments was $2.0 billion across 198 portfolio companies and 26 industries. This compares to $1.8 billion as of March 31, 2024 across 195 portfolio companies and 26 industries.

As of June 30, 2024, the Company’s portfolio based on fair value consisted of approximately 90.6% first-lien term loans, 7.8% subordinated debt investments, and 1.6% equity investments. As of March 31, 2024, the Company’s portfolio based on fair value consisted of 89.0% first-lien term loans, 9.3% subordinated debt investments, and 1.8% equity investments.

For the three months ended June 30, 2024, the Company funded $305 million of portfolio investments and received $100 million of proceeds from principal repayments and sales, compared to $204.3 million and $54.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, respectively.

As of June 30, 2024 and March 31, 2024, the weighted average Internal Risk Rating of the portfolio at fair value was 4.1 and 4.1 (4.0 being the initial rating assigned at origination), respectively, and loans on non-accrual status represented 1.4% of total investments at amortized cost (or 0.5% of total investments at fair value) and 0.4% at amortized cost (or 0.1% at fair value), respectively. Two new portfolio companies were added to non-accrual status during the quarter.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Investment Income

Investment income, primarily attributable to interest and fees on our debt investments, increased to $55.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, from $37.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, primarily due to increased investment activity driven by an increase in deployed capital, slightly offset by a decrease in the weighted average yield of debt and income producing investments. As of June 30, 2024, the weighted average yield of debt and income producing investments at fair value decreased to 11.4%, compared to 11.7% as of June 30, 2023, as a result of spread tightening.

Net Expenses

Net expenses increased to $24.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, compared to $18.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 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 use of the senior secured revolving credit facility in the third quarter of 2023 and the completion of two debt securitizations on December 7, 2023 and March 14, 2024, respectively. The increase in management fees was driven by the Company's increase in total assets. 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).

Net Realized Gain (Loss) and Net Change in Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Investments

Net realized gains increased to $1.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, compared to $218 thousand for the three months ended June 30, 2023. The increase in the net realized gain was primarily driven by full or partial paydowns of our investments. For the three months ended June 30, 2024, the Company recorded a net change in unrealized loss of $(12.1) million, which resulted from a decrease in fair value primarily attributable to two underperforming portfolio companies. This compares to a net unrealized loss of $(4.2) million for the three months ended June 30, 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of June 30, 2024, the Company had $71.0 million in cash and cash equivalents and $1.0 billion in total aggregate principal amount of debt outstanding. Subject to borrowing base and other conditions, the Company had approximately $290.0 million available for additional borrowings under its existing credit facilities, as of June 30, 2024. At June 30, 2024, the Company's debt to equity ratio was 1.04x compared to 0.82x at March 31, 2024.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST INFORMATION

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. will hold a conference call to discuss its second 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)

 

June 30, 2024

 

December 31, 2023

Assets

(Unaudited)

 

 

Investments

 

 

 

Non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments, at fair value (amortized cost of $2,023,384 and $1,666,169, respectively)

$

1,990,856

 

$

1,641,686

Cash and cash equivalents

 

70,986

 

 

67,395

Restricted cash

 

50

 

 

50

Interest receivable

 

18,299

 

 

17,674

Receivable for investments sold

 

2,650

 

 

3,919

Prepaid expenses

 

93

 

 

13

Other assets

$

—

 

$

127

Total assets

$

2,082,934

 

$

1,730,864

 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

 

 

Secured borrowings (net of $8,029 and $7,941 deferred financing costs, respectively) (See Note 6)

$

1,020,721

 

$

943,936

Payable for investments purchased

 

17,790

 

 

—

Interest payable

 

21,292

 

 

9,837

Due to adviser for expense support (See Note 5)

 

—

 

 

632

Management fees payable

 

3,590

 

 

3,006

Distributions payable

 

30,108

 

 

22,683

Directors’ fees payable

 

127

 

 

96

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

2,934

 

 

2,789

Total liabilities

$

1,096,562

 

$

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, 54,705,779 and 41,242,105 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively

$

547

 

$

412

Paid-in-capital in excess of par value

 

1,019,617

 

 

776,719

Total distributable earnings (loss)

 

(33,792)

 

 

(29,246)

Total net assets

$

986,372

 

$

747,885

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and net assets

$

2,082,934

 

$

1,730,864

 

 

 

 

Net asset value per share (See Note 9)

$

18.03

 

$

18.13

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

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

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

Investment income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

$

53,018

 

$

36,292

 

$

102,096

 

$

69,679

Payment-in-kind interest income

 

1,529

 

 

551

 

 

3,521

 

 

872

Dividend income

 

33

 

 

24

 

 

341

 

 

40

Other income

 

509

 

 

234

 

 

726

 

 

470

Total investment income

 

55,089

 

 

37,101

 

 

106,684

 

 

71,061

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest and debt financing expenses

 

18,721

 

 

14,298

 

 

35,662

 

 

27,041

Management fees (See Note 5)

 

3,590

 

 

2,475

 

 

6,854

 

 

4,781

Incentive fees on net investment income

 

3,075

 

 

—

 

 

7,534

 

 

—

Professional fees

 

693

 

 

964

 

 

1,403

 

 

1,554

Directors' fees

 

127

 

 

95

 

 

255

 

 

191

Administration fees (See Note 5)

 

484

 

 

350

 

 

1,026

 

 

659

Other general and administrative expenses

 

466

 

 

357

 

 

743

 

 

528

Total expenses before expense support and Incentive fees waived

 

27,156

 

 

18,539

 

 

53,477

 

 

34,754

Expense support (See Note 5)

 

—

 

 

(144)

 

 

—

 

 

(158)

Incentive fees waived (See Note 5)

 

(3,075)

 

 

—

 

 

(7,534)

 

 

—

Net Expenses after expense support

 

24,081

 

 

18,395

 

 

45,943

 

 

34,596

Net investment income

 

31,008

 

 

18,706

 

 

60,741

 

 

36,465

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

1,017

 

 

218

 

 

(2,608)

 

 

6,699

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments

 

(12,102)

 

 

(4,242)

 

 

(8,045)

 

 

(15,379)

Income tax (provision) benefit

 

282

 

 

(376)

 

 

141

 

 

(762)

Total net change in unrealized gain (loss)

 

(11,820)

 

 

(4,618)

 

 

(7,904)

 

 

(16,141)

Total net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

 

(10,803)

 

 

(4,400)

 

 

(10,512)

 

 

(9,442)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

$

20,205

 

$

14,306

 

$

50,229

 

$

27,023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Per share data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income per share - basic and diluted

$

0.57

 

$

0.61

 

$

1.13

 

$

1.23

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

$

0.37

 

$

0.47

 

$

0.93

 

$

0.91

Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted

 

54,789.044

 

 

30,621.009

 

 

53,773.698

 

 

29,679.378

PORTFOLIO AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

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

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

Investments:

 

 

 

Total investments, beginning of period

$

1,814,985

 

$

1,293,592

Purchase of investments

 

304,976

 

 

102,103

Proceeds from principal repayments and sales of investments

 

(99,977)

 

 

(5,759)

Payment-in-kind interest

 

1,529

 

 

551

Amortization of premium/accretion of discount, net

 

854

 

 

628

Net realized gain (loss) on investments

 

1,017

 

 

218

Total investments, end of period

$

2,023,384

 

$

1,391,333

 

 

 

 

Portfolio companies at beginning of period

 

195

 

 

153

Number of new portfolio companies funded

 

11

 

 

9

Number of portfolio companies sold or repaid

 

(8)

 

 

(1)

Portfolio companies, end of period

 

198

 

 

161

Count of investments

 

434

 

 

329

Count of industries

 

26

 

 

23

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

Investments:

 

 

 

Total investments, beginning of period

$

1,666,169

 

$

1,225,573

Purchase of investments

 

509,305

 

 

202,017

Proceeds from principal repayments and sales of investments

 

(154,873)

 

 

(45,361)

Payment-in-kind interest

 

3,521

 

 

872

Amortization of premium/accretion of discount, net

 

1,870

 

 

1,533

Net realized gain (loss) on investments

 

(2,608)

 

 

6,699

Total investments, end of period

$

2,023,384

 

$

1,391,333

 

 

 

 

Portfolio companies at beginning of period

 

179

 

 

145

Number of new portfolio companies funded

 

34

 

 

20

Number of portfolio companies sold or repaid

 

(15)

 

 

(4)

Portfolio companies, end of period

 

198

 

 

161

Count of investments

 

434

 

 

329

Count of industries

 

26

 

 

23

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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