As mentioned in our previous note, BDCs are like banks, only riskier. Not only are BDCs facing increasing stress due to slowing economic growth and increasing interest rates (i.e. the tradeoff between higher floating rate interest payments received and higher default risk on loans), but some BDCs (such as those focused on venture capital) are dramatically over-exposed to fallout from the Silicon Valley Bank mess. In this note, we share updated data on 40 BDCs, and then dive deeper into 4 specific venture-capital-focused BDCs—and how we expect them to fare in light of the SVB mess—buyer beware!
BDCs: Financially Strong, Despite Deteriorating Market
Attractive High-Growth BDC: 12.0% Yield, Compelling Price
If you are an income-focused investor, the BDC we review in this report may be interesting to you. It has a unique business strategy and a compelling 12.0% distribution yield. We dig into the details (including the nuances of the strategy, valuation, the current market environment, dividend safety and risks), and then conclude with our strong opinion on investing.
Big-Dividend BDCs: The 5 We Own (Yielding 6.0%, 9.1%, 8.2%, 8.1% and 8.5%)
Business Development Companies, or “BDCs,” basically provide financing (debt and equity) to private companies that are usually a bit too risky for ordinary banks to work with (due especially to stringent post-financial crisis regulatory rules). However, by building a portfolio of these companies, BDCs can reduce risks, and pay income-focused investors the big dividend yields that they love. This report provides an overview of current BDC valuations, and then reviews five of our favorite BDCs, currently yielding 6.0%, 9.1%, 8.2%, 8.1% and 8.5%, respectively.
This 10.0% Yield BDC: Attractive, Worth Considering
The Business Development Company (“BDC”) that we review in this article focuses on making primarily debt investments to pre-IPO growth companies (focused largely on technology and life sciences markets). It also offers a compelling 10.0% dividend yield (with potential for additional “special dividends”). Specifically, this article reviews the business, the company’s investment portfolio, the dividend and the risks. We conclude with our opinion on investing.
TriplePoint’s 9.7% Yield: Disruptive Growth, Increasingly Attractive Price
If you are looking for a differentiated source of high income, TriplePoint Venture Growth is a BDC that is worth considering. Not only does it provide a differentiated source of high income compared to traditional high income sectors and industries, but it trades significantly lower than peers, and at only approximately par (price-to-NAV just above one) after Monday’s broad marketwide sell-off.