Release Date: February 28, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

• Goldman Sachs BDC Inc (NYSE:GSBD) committed approximately $13 billion and deployed $10.8 billion in 2024, more than doubling the activity from 2023.
• The company increased the percentage of first lien positions in its portfolio to 96.3% by year-end 2024, enhancing portfolio security.
• GSBD's net investment income per share for Q4 2024 was $0.48, exceeding the fixed dividend rate of $0.45 per share.
• The board approved a new dividend structure with a base of $0.32 per share and supplemental variable distributions, ensuring flexibility and alignment with market conditions.
• GSBD maintained a shareholder-friendly incentive fee structure, reducing the fee from 20% to 17.5% starting Q1 2025.

Negative Points

• Net asset value per share decreased by approximately 1% relative to the third quarter, due to net realized and unrealized losses.
• The weighted average yield of the investment portfolio decreased from 10.9% to 10.1% quarter-over-quarter.
• Non-accrual investments remained at 4.5% of the total investment portfolio at amortized cost, indicating ongoing credit quality concerns.
• The company anticipates muted deal activity in the first quarter of 2025, potentially impacting short-term growth.
• There is exposure to potential policy changes, with a low to mid-single-digit percentage of the portfolio potentially affected by tariffs and government contracts.

Q & A Highlights

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with GSBD.

Q: Can you expand on your comment about reducing target leverage or running lower for a while? A: Our target leverage has always been 1.25 times, and we finished the quarter at 1.17 times. We don't anticipate any meaningful increases from there. We are monitoring it closely in the context of the spillover. (Alex G, Co-CEO)

Q: With the new $0.32 dividend, will leverage become more conservative and drive earnings closer to that amount? A: We don't anticipate needing to increase leverage significantly to meet our dividends. The new base of $0.32 per share reflects the current environment, and we plan to supplement it with additional dividends. (Alex G, Co-CEO)

Q: How much of the portfolio are you seeking to rotate out of or exit? A: About 60% of our portfolio is from 2021 and earlier. We are focused on harvesting that portion and redeploying it into newer investments. We don't have a specific percentage target for exits. (Alex G, Co-CEO)

Q: Did the new $0.32 dividend take into account future refinancing costs, such as the 2026 notes maturing? A: Yes, we modeled in recycling in the portfolio, changes in our capital stack, and additional flexibility for potential losses. We considered all these factors, including the maturity next year. (Stan Mazewski, CFO)

Q: Do you have exposure to government contracting or policy changes in DC? A: We conducted a name-by-name analysis and found that a low to mid-single-digit percentage of our portfolio has exposure to potentially meaningful impacts. Our portfolio is predominantly US-based with limited supply chain exposure. (Alex G, Co-CEO)

Q: Can you provide insights on the increase in PIK income and its implications for struggling companies in the portfolio? A: The increase in PIK income is not broad across the portfolio. Credit health is stable to improving, and where PIK is present, it is often accompanied by sponsor capital or tighter covenants. (Stan Mazewski, CFO)

Q: What is your current exposure to ARR loans, and where would you like it to go? A: Our ARR exposure is less than half of what it was when we integrated the platform. We are selective in this space, focusing on high-quality companies, and have significantly reduced exposure. (David Miller, Co-CEO)

Q: How much repricing activity has occurred in the portfolio, and what is left to be done? A: Most repricing activity has occurred over the last 12 to 18 months. Future repricing may occur with credit-enhancing events, but the bulk has already happened. (David Miller, Co-CEO)

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.