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Crescent Capital BDC, Inc. (CCAP)

Q1 2014 Earnings Call· Tue, May 13, 2014

$13.40

+1.28%

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Transcript

Operator

Operator

Good morning, and welcome to the THL Credit’s Earnings Conference Call for its First Fiscal Quarter of 2014. It is my pleasure to turn the call over to Ms. Stephanie Sullivan, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of THL Credit. Ms. Sullivan, you may begin. Stephanie Paré Sullivan: Thank you, operator. Good morning and thank you for joining us. With me today are Jim Hunt, our Chief Executive Officer; and Terry Olson, our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Before we begin, please note that statements made on this call may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended. Such statements reflect various assumptions by THL Credit concerning anticipated results, are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. The uncertainties and other factors are, in some ways, beyond management’s control, including the factors described from time-to-time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe that the assumptions on which any forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of those assumptions could prove to be inaccurate, and as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those assumptions also to be incorrect. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. THL Credit undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made herein. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this call. A web cast replay of this call will be available until May 20, 2014, starting approximately two hours after we conclude this morning. To access the replay, please visit our website at www.thlcredit.com. With that, I’ll turn the call over to Jim.

James K. Hunt

Management

Thank you, Stephanie. Good morning. Thank you for joining this morning’s call covering the results of THL Credit’s first fiscal quarter of 2014. Our earnings announcement and 10-Q were released yesterday afternoon, copies of which can be found on our website along with the Q1 Investor Presentation that we will refer to during this call. This morning, we will provide an overview of THL Credit’s investment activities as well as financial highlights for the first fiscal quarter of 2014. I will also offer our views on how we will continue to grow our portfolio and drive shareholder returns in the current middle market investment environment. We completed the first quarter with 58 portfolio companies valued at $739 million after investing $128 million during the quarter in seven new transactions; and five follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies. Realizations and repayments were $36 million. Our five offices remain focused on developing and furthering key relationships with private equity firms and sponsors, financial advisors, banks and other lending partners consistent with direct origination of investments, which has been a hallmark of our sourcing success. As such, approximately 88% of our investments in Q1 were directly originated. Over the last four quarters, we have averaged $78 million in net portfolio growth for each quarter, which was comprised of new investment activity, averaging $120 million in realization through prepayments and sales averaging $42 million. With an increasingly competitive middle market landscape, characterized by tightening spreads and increasing leverage levels, we have continued to focus on finding the most attractive risk-adjusted investment opportunities, which should have generally been higher in the capital structure. Throughout 2013; and into 2014, we have increased the amount invested in first lien and second lien securities which now account for 72% of our overall portfolio on a fair value basis.…

Terrence W. Olson

Management

Thanks, Jim, and good morning, everyone. I wanted to start by describing our seven new investment transactions this quarter, and provide you with a little color on each. First, we made a $24.9 million investment in the senior secured term loan of Igloo Products Corp., a designer, manufacturer and marketer of ice chests and coolers. Igloo is headquartered in Katy, Texas. Next, we had a $20.0 million investment in the second lien term loan of TriMark USA, food services equipment and supplies distributor. The company is headquartered in South Attleboro, Massachusetts. We made a $12.0 million investment in the second lien term loan of Tectum Holdings, supplier of truck bed covers and bed liners. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We also made an $11.0 million investment in the second lien term loan of Synarc-Biocore Holdings, a provider of specialized services to the pharmaceutical industries, the company is headquartered in Newton, Pennsylvania. We made a $10.3 million investment in the senior secured term loan and a $800,000 equity investment in Allied Wireline Services, an independent wireline service provider to the energy industry. Allied is headquartered in Houston. We made an $8.3 million investment in the senior secured term loan of BeneSys, Inc., a provider of technology enabled third-party administrative services to multi-employer trusts, this company is headquartered in Troy, Michigan. And finally, we made a $9.9 million commitment to the senior secured term loan of Wheels Up Partner; of which $5.4 million was funded during the quarter, along with the $1 million equity investment. Wheels Up provides membership-based private aviation for individuals and corporations and is headquartered in New York. If you refer the Pages 13 through 15; as well Pages 20 through 24 of the Investor Presentation, you’ll see the details on our portfolio investment, specifically their…

James K. Hunt

Management

Thanks, Terry. I’d like to close our formal remarks with a quick summary. We are pleased with our investment pace and the investment pipeline of directly originated by our five offices, as well as the nearly $92 million of net growth in the portfolio this past quarter. The overall credit quality of our portfolio remained strong, and we are actively supervising any underperforming investments. Lastly, the recent expansion of our credit facility at a lower cost and extended tenure provides us with the liquidity necessary to fund the near term growth of our portfolio. I would now like to open the lines or questions, operator.

Operator

Operator

Thank you. (Operator Instructions) Our first question comes from Lee Cooperman with Omega Advisors. Your line is open. Lee Cooperman – Omega Advisors, Inc.: Yes. Thank you. I appreciate the rundown. I’m curious, looking at your budgets and your strategy, would you think that the distribution will end the year higher than it’s running now or you think that any incremental distribution behind the through special.

James K. Hunt

Management

Well, Lee, thanks for joining today. And on that question, I think the special dividends – the special dividends in the past have been related to what we have felt were one time gain. And rather than build an expectation into our base dividend, we’ve handled those as special dividends which I think our constituents have supported that that approach. Lee, I think the question for the balance of the year is going to depend on, one we intend to maintain leverage at a higher level. I think in the last month, we’ve seen spreads move to be one click more favorable. So I think it’s going to be a question on, are there suitable more junior capital investments at a higher spread level, and what is the pace of prepayment activity that in the past we’ve – the base dividend has benefited somewhat significantly from the pace of prepayment activity. So I think it’s a – I think that goes beyond our crystal ball. But I think those are really the drivers responding to your question. Lee Cooperman – Omega Advisors, Inc.: I assume the only time we will rise as you levered a bit more right

James K. Hunt

Management

Absolutely. And this is notably, the highest leverage level we have achieved in – we have been very – we’ve really let the left hand side of the balance sheet pull the right hand side. So we’ve not issued equity since last September and have really chosen to add leverage and drive EPS through that incremental leverage and not diluting with follow on share issuance. Lee Cooperman – Omega Advisors, Inc.: Yeah. I would hope that policy will continue, not like to see issuance of equity below NAV. This is a personal view.

James K. Hunt

Management

We can only lose your confidence once. Lee Cooperman – Omega Advisors, Inc.: You got it. Thank you. Good luck. Thank you for the report.

Operator

Operator

(Operator Instructions) Our next question comes from Jon Bock with Wells Fargo Securities. Your line is open. Jonathan Bock – Wells Fargo Securities, LLC: Good morning and thank you for taking my questions. So, Jim, real quick, more of a scenario analysis, but in light of BDC stock price pressures pushing the number of names below NAV or let’s say below a threshold that shareholders would find prudent to be issuing equity whether one was fully levered or not. Can you walk us through the dividend paying ability in the event that equity issuance likely does not occur, leverage remains high and we’re more of in a churn situation than we are in a stable net portfolio growth situation? Could you may be walk through that scenario and what PCRD investor should expect in the event that, that comes to pass over the next several months?

James K. Hunt

Management

You know that – I think that’s a fascinating question and I think that our guiding philosophy has been prudence and patience. And that there is a possibility that the market overall will go through a slower asset growth period as the economies in the slow growth period. If you look at BDC yields broadly relative to capital market levels, it’s at a very high spread relative to high yield indices, which could be technical, could be a question about somewhat compressed spreads, but those spreads are still at a historically very high level, but where we would not hesitate to sit on the sidelines in growing the portfolio if we didn’t see attractive risk adjusted return investments. So, certainly, it would be interesting to see where BDCs trade post the Russell rebalancing – perhaps the market reflecting on the yields at which BDC is broadly are available relative to other higher yielding choices. But, we for one, feel like that $169 million of liquidity that I addressed relative to what changes turn over there will be our portfolio were comfortable that we can comfortably manage your pipeline. Jonathan Bock – Wells Fargo Securities, LLC: And then may be a question as it relates to exposure to second lien, and this is always a question because at sometimes the term second lien similar to mess, sometimes elicits a negative response. And again we understand that not all credits are created equal, but as we look at Tectum, TriMark, or Synarc-Biocore, the question is those are second lien transactions part of a let’s say $100 million tranche or so of which TCRD participated between 20% and 10%. Can you give us a sense of any potential frothiness in those securities? The reason we asked the question is, we found that those deals that are typically more marketed tend to have poor credit characteristics and we would appreciate maybe your thought process as you look at those investments from an underwriting perspective given that they carry that second lien name.

James K. Hunt

Management

Here is what it’s interesting about it is, I don’t disagree with your characterization broadly, but one of the things is, in several of the investments you mentioned were brought to us because of the special relationship either with the sponsor or the senior lender. We had a special seat at the table. And as I think you’ve seen before, we’re binomial on credit. It’s got to be a good enough credit. So while they appear to have more of a marketed style, the reality was it was much more of a club in its execution and at the end of the day, the credit metrics starting with fixed charge coverage most importantly to us, we’re very consistent with the return we want for that level of risk. Jonathan Bock – Wells Fargo Securities, LLC: Okay. And then as we look at repayment activity and I think, Terry, you mentioned this is just one thing I wanted to catch as it relates to NCM I think you mentioned the $1.3 million prepayment fee, but then just to make sure I got you correct, there was a also an additional million dollars that will come in the form of amortized fees, is correct?

Terrence W. Olson

Management

[For us the] (ph) basically the GAAP gone at this point between the cost basis you’ll seen in queue in the par. So... Jonathan Bock – Wells Fargo Securities, LLC: Okay. Thank you so much.

James K. Hunt

Management

Thank you.

Operator

Operator

(Operator Instructions) Our next question comes from Ken Bruce with Bank of America. Your line is open. Derek Hewett – Merrill Lynch: Good morning, Derek Hewitt for Ken Bruce this morning. Quickly, I have a follow-up question regarding the pipeline, given that exits are trending a little bit higher subsequent to quarter end, could you talk about the kind of your outlook for the pipeline?

James K. Hunt

Management

Well, it’s interesting on the pipeline. It has been of late – it’s been more sponsored at transactions than unsponsored. I think the level of – the quality of the seat we have at the table has continued to get better, so the actionability of investments has gotten better. I think the realizations for the second quarter are by-and-large behind this. So I would be hopeful that we have net growth for the balance of the quarter and the – I would say that would be perhaps led by the more traded credit marketplace, where spreads have picked up in the last month approximately five weeks that is probably creating a positive environment for the lender markets where we’re a lender not a buyer, I think it has positive implications for the lender market. Cyclically, we are getting to the time of the year, where middle market companies start changing hand, so we should be entering into the more favorable season to be making investments. So cyclically, our pipeline should be becoming larger and more active for the balance of the year. Derek Hewett – Merrill Lynch: Okay, great. And then could you talk a little bit about the amount of undistributed earnings that you guys currently have?

Terrence W. Olson

Management

Sure. We have approximately $3.3 million of undistributed NII, almost $0.10 a share at this point. Derek Hewett – Merrill Lynch: Okay, great. Thank you very much.

Operator

Operator

Our next question comes from Vernon Plack with BB&T Financial. Your line is open. Vernon C. Plack – BB&T Capital Markets: Thanks. Jim, question on the CLO equity portion, I know that that’s going to place where some folks have thought some yield and just curious in terms of your current thinking on opportunities with CLO equity and those residual types of opportunities?

James K. Hunt

Management

Well, as we mentioned before, we think it’s – when that market is cheap and we know the underlying credits, we know the manager well, and we leverage our own traded credit team heavily to I think make better investments there. Our approach has been to have also I should note less than 25% of the equity in those transaction. At the point in time we made those five investments, we thought the arbitrage was compelling. And it might be worth Terry adding a sidebar on our accounting approach to those investments, I would say of late the arbitrage has improved, but it would take so not only is the arbitrage in the last month returned to be more favorable, we do have a limited amount of capital we want to commit to those investments. Two, it would take having confidence in the manager and feeling very comfortable is the underlying asset choices. So, I would say, if possible we will make another – an investment or two, but not significantly beyond that. But Terry you just wanted to talk about the accounting approach in terms of amortizing the basis down?

Terrence W. Olson

Management

Yeah, as folks may or may not know we’re using an effective yield method which we are basically recognizing income based on an expected return profile over the life that we hold the vehicle, which is consistent with what most folks are doing in the market obviously and we think the best approach under GAAP. Yeah, you could see some of that, that income or return expectation decreasing a bit, but there is a lot variables, I know Vernon, as you can appreciate, some of which are tidy yield, and some of which are archived more quite frankly to just, general default levels, recovery levels et cetera. So, a lot – a myriad of factors go into it, but that’s the approach that we’ve taken in the past with the income recognition there. Vernon C. Plack – BB&T Capital Markets: Okay. Can we expect anything different out of you in the upcoming quarters? Are you looking at anything outside of the traditional types of investments that you have been making? Are you looking at anything that will fall to the 30% bucket?

Terrence W. Olson

Management

Well, within the 30% bucket, we do have it and one of our senior investment leaders specializes in financing of especially financed businesses. Vernon C. Plack – BB&T Capital Markets: Sure.

Terrence W. Olson

Management

And so those would fall in the 30% category, they are – again, they were a lender not a buyer, they’re well underwritten by somebody’s got this is Monty Cook, that I am referring to. He’s got tremendous experience in this space. So those would be, I consistent in style with middle market, higher yielding junior capital investments, but would be in that category. But beyond that, we are not contemplating anything such as an operating company or something of that – that’s what you’re referring to, Vernon. Vernon C. Plack – BB&T Capital Markets: Okay. That’s helpful. Thank you.

Operator

Operator

And I’m showing no further questions. I will now turn the call back over to Jim Hunt for closing remarks.

James K. Hunt

Management

Well, thank you, operator, and thank you to all of you for joining us today. We look forward to seeing you in early August. Take care.