BDC Stock Recent News

NEW YORK, March 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chicago Atlantic BDC, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: LIEN), a specialty finance company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company, today announced that the Company's board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.34 per share for the quarter ending March 31, 2025.

NEW YORK, March 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chicago Atlantic BDC, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: LIEN), a specialty finance company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company, today announced details for the release of its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024.

Kayne Anderson BDC, despite a short track record, shows strong fundamentals with high first-lien loan exposure and diversified borrower portfolio, making it a defensive investment. Latest earnings report shows a slight decline in net investment income and top line, but dividend coverage remains strong at 120%, outperforming peers. Economic uncertainty and lower base rates limit upside potential for BDCs, prompting a hold rating for Kayne Anderson BDC and others in the sector.

Part 1 of this article compares GBDC's recent quarterly change in NAV, quarterly and trailing 12-month economic return, NII, and current valuation to 11 BDC peers. Part 1 also performs a comparative analysis between each company's investment portfolio as of 9/30/2024 and 12/31/2024. This includes an updated percentage of investments on non-accrual status. I also provide a list of the other BDC stocks I currently believe are undervalued (a buy recommendation), overvalued (a sell recommendation), and appropriately valued (a hold recommendation).

As a structural BDC bull I have to admit that the period of BDCs consistently surprising us on the upside has come to an end. Many lower quality BDCs have already cut their dividends to sync their cash flows with less favorable private credit lending environment. I would say that the moment of truth for high quality BDCs is also very close, where we will see how really durable their base dividends are.

Goldman Sachs BDC stock is in a long-term downtrend, trading near all-time lows, signaling fundamental issues despite its high dividend yield. Declining net investment income has led to a significant dividend cut, further diminishing GSBD's attractiveness. The clumsy approach management took in announcing an extra special dividend in order to push higher the total dividend yield does not seem a sustainable strategy.

I maintain a buy rating on Kayne Anderson BDC due to its attractive financials, strong distribution coverage, and undervalued market price despite recent growth. KBDC's portfolio has grown impressively, with a fair value of $1.99B, and maintains a high starting dividend yield of 9.7%. The portfolio is well-structured with 98% first lien and 100% floating rate investments, providing both income generation and defensive measures.

We take a look at the action in business development companies through the last week of February and highlight some of the key themes we are watching. BDCs remained flat amid volatile risk sentiment, with TCPC underperforming due to a poor quarter and dividend cut, while February saw slight overall gains for the sector. JPMorgan's $50bn direct lending initiative and merger of its commercial and investment banks could increase competition for BDCs in corporate lending.

Goldman Sachs BDC has revised its dividend policy and fee structure, reducing the regular dividend but adding supplemental dividends to maintain overall payouts. Despite a 29% "cut" in the regular dividend, the BDC will pay supplemental dividends. The BDC's non-accrual percentage has decreased slightly in Q4'24, but the dividend safety margin has been reduced due to underperforming investments.

Why BDCs may be entering a dangerous phase. Avoid these risks before it's too late. One BDC stands out as a safe bet, and is my top pick right now.