NEW YORK, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prospect Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: PSEC) (“Prospect”, “our”, or “we”) today announced financial results for our fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2021.

FINANCIAL RESULTS

      ⁽¹⁾   Including our preferred stock as equity.

CASH COMMON SHAREHOLDER DISTRIBUTION DECLARATION

Prospect is declaring distributions to common shareholders as follows:

These monthly cash distributions are the 51^st, 52^nd, and 53^rd consecutive $0.06 per share distributions to common shareholders.

Prospect expects to declare February 2022, March 2022, and April 2022 distributions in February 2022.

Based on the declarations above, Prospect’s closing stock price of $8.35 at November 5, 2021 delivers to our common shareholders an annualized distribution yield of 8.6%.

Shareholders earned over a 70% total return for the twelve months ended September 30, 2021 if they participated in our dividend reinvestment plan (also known as our “DRIP”), while non-participating shareholders earned a 67% return. We offer a 5% discount to the market price of our common stock to shareholders who have elected to participate in our DRIP.

Taking into account past distributions and our current share count for declared distributions, and since inception through our January 2022 declared distribution, Prospect will have distributed $19.14 per share to original common shareholders, aggregating over $3.5 billion in cumulative distributions to all common shareholders.

Since October 2017, our NII per common share has aggregated $3.15 while our common shareholder distributions per share have aggregated $2.88, enabling our NII to exceed distributions during this period by $0.27 per common share.

Initiatives focused on enhancing accretive NII per share growth include (1) our $1 billion targeted 5.50% perpetual preferred stock offering, (2) our $150 million 5.35% listed perpetual preferred stock issuance, (3) a greater utilization of our cost efficient revolving credit facility (with an incremental cost of approximately 1.44% at today’s one month Libor), (4) retirement of higher cost liabilities (including multiple recent tender offers and repurchases), (5) issuing lower cost notes (including recent five to 30 year senior unsecured notes with coupons ranging from 2.25% to 4.00%), and (6) increased originations of senior secured debt and selected equity investments targeting risk-adjusted yields and total returns as we deploy dry powder from our underleveraged balance sheet.

Our senior management team and employees own approximately 28% of all common shares outstanding, approximately $1.1 billion of our common equity.

CASH PREFERRED SHAREHOLDER DISTRIBUTION DECLARATION

Prospect is declaring distributions to Series A1, Series M1, and Series A2 preferred shareholders at an annual rate of 5.50% of the stated value of $25.00 per share, from the date of issuance or, if later, from the most recent dividend payment date (the first business day of the month, with no additional dividend accruing in January as a result), as follows:

Prospect is declaring our second quarterly distribution to Series A preferred shareholders at an annual rate of 5.35% of the stated value of $25.00 per share, from the date of issuance as follows:

PORTFOLIO UPDATE AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

As of the quarter ended September 30, 2021, our middle-market loan portfolio company weighted average net debt leverage ratio was 4.88x.⁽³⁾

      ⁽¹⁾   Excluding our underlying industry-diversified structured credit portfolio.

      ⁽²⁾   Calculated at fair value.

      ⁽³⁾   For additional disclosure see “Middle-Market Loan Portfolio Company Weighted Average EBITDA and Net Leverage” at the end of this release.

During the December 2021 (to date), September 2021, and June 2021 quarters, investment originations and repayments were as follows:

Note: For additional disclosure see “Primary Origination Strategies” at the end of this release.

We have invested in subordinated structured notes benefiting from individual standalone financings non-recourse to Prospect, with our risk limited in each case to our net investment. At September 30, 2021 and June 30, 2021, our subordinated structured note portfolio at fair value consisted of the following:

⁽¹⁾   Calculation based on fair value.

⁽²⁾   Excludes investments being redeemed.

To date, including called investments being redeemed, we have exited 10 subordinated structured notes totaling $286.4 million with an expected pooled average realized IRR of 15.7% and cash on cash multiple of 1.45 times.

Since December 31, 2017 through today, 30 of our subordinated structured note investments have completed multi-year extensions of their reinvestment periods (typically at reduced liability spreads and with increased weighted average life asset benefits). We believe further long-term optionality upside exists in our structured credit portfolio through additional refinancings and reinvestment period extensions.

CAPITAL AND LIQUIDITY

Our multi-year, long-term laddered and diversified funding profile includes a $1.2775 billion revolving credit facility (with 41 lenders, an increase of 11 lenders from before our April 2021 extension and upsizing), program notes, listed baby bonds, institutional bonds, convertible bonds, listed preferred stock, and program preferred stock. We have retired multiple previously upcoming maturities and as of today have no debt maturing until July 2022.

On April 28, 2021, we completed an amendment and upsizing of our existing revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) for Prospect Capital Funding, extending the term 5.0 years from such date. Pricing for amounts drawn under the Facility is one-month Libor plus 2.05%, a decrease of 0.15% from before our extension. Undrawn pricing (1) was reduced by 0.30% for above 35% and up to 60% utilization and (2) was reduced by 0.10% for above 60% utilization. Our extended facility also has improved borrowing base benefits due to a change in concentration baskets, which we estimate increased our borrowing base by approximately $150 million.

The combined amount of our balance sheet cash and undrawn revolving credit facility commitments is currently approximately $1.1 billion. Our total unfunded eligible commitments to non-control portfolio companies totals approximately $42 million, representing less than 1% of our total assets as of September 30, 2021.

      ⁽¹⁾   Including our preferred stock as equity.

The below table summarizes our September 2021 quarter term debt issuance and repurchase/repayment activity:

$1.2775 billion of Facility commitments have closed to date with 41 lenders. An accordion feature allows the Facility, at Prospect's discretion, to accept up to $1.5 billion of commitments. The Facility matures April 27, 2026. The Facility includes a revolving period that extends through April 27, 2025, followed by an additional one-year amortization period.

We currently have eight separate unsecured debt issuances aggregating $1.7 billion outstanding, not including our program notes, with laddered maturities extending to June 2029. At September 30, 2021, $382.2 million of program notes were outstanding with laddered maturities through September 2051.

At September 30, 2021, our weighted average cost of unsecured debt financing was 4.56%, a decrease of 0.30% from June 30, 2021, and a decrease of 1.18% from September 30, 2020.

On August 3, 2020, we launched a $1 billion 5.50% perpetual preferred stock offering program. Prospect expects to use the net proceeds from the offering program to maintain and enhance balance sheet liquidity, including repaying our credit facility and purchasing high quality short-term debt instruments, and to make long-term investments in accordance with our investment objective. The preferred stock provides Prospect with a diversified source of accretive fixed-rate capital without creating maturity risk due to the perpetual term. To date we have issued approximately $239 million in aggregate of our 5.50% perpetual preferred stock program.

On July 19, 2021, we closed a $150 million listed 5.35% perpetual preferred stock offering. Prospect used the net proceeds from the offering to maintain and enhance balance sheet liquidity, including repaying our credit facility and redeeming higher cost program notes.

In connection with the 5.50% perpetual preferred stock offering program, effective August 3, 2020 and as amended on October 30, 2020, we adopted and amended, respectively, a Preferred Stock Dividend Reinvestment Plan, pursuant to which holders of the preferred stock will have dividends on their preferred stock automatically reinvested in additional shares of such preferred stock at a price per share of $25.00, if they elect.

We currently have over $394 million in preferred stock outstanding.

Prospect holds recently reaffirmed or initiated investment grade company ratings, all with a stable outlook, from Standard & Poor’s (BBB-), Moody’s (Baa3), Kroll (BBB-), Egan-Jones (BBB), and DBRS (BBB (low)). Maintaining our investment grade ratings with prudent asset, liability, and risk management is an important objective for Prospect.

DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan (also known as our “DRIP”) that provides for reinvestment of our distributions on behalf of our shareholders, unless a shareholder elects to receive cash. On April 17, 2020, our board of directors approved amendments to the Company’s DRIP, effective May 21, 2020. These amendments principally provide for the number of newly-issued shares pursuant to the DRIP to be determined by dividing (i) the total dollar amount of the distribution payable by (ii) 95% of the closing market price per share of our stock on the valuation date of the distribution (providing a 5% discount to the market price of our common stock), a benefit to shareholders who participate.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN

Shares held with a broker or financial institution

Many shareholders have been automatically “opted out” of our DRIP by their brokers. Even if you have elected to automatically reinvest your PSEC stock with your broker, your broker may have “opted out” of our DRIP (which utilizes DTC’s dividend reinvestment service), and you may therefore not be receiving the 5% pricing discount. Shareholders interested in participating in our DRIP to receive the 5% discount should contact their brokers to make sure each such DRIP participation election has been made through DTC. In making such DRIP election, each shareholder should specify to one’s broker the desire to participate in the "Prospect Capital Corporation DRIP through DTC" that issues shares based on 95% of the market price (a 5% discount to the market price) and not the broker's own "synthetic DRIP” plan (if any) that offers no such discount. Each shareholder should not assume one’s broker will automatically place such shareholder in our DRIP through DTC. Each shareholder will need to make this election proactively with one’s broker or risk not receiving the 5% discount. Each shareholder may also consult with a representative of such shareholder’s broker to request that the number of shares the shareholder wishes to enroll in our DRIP be re-registered by the broker in the shareholder’s own name as record owner in order to participate directly in our DRIP.

Shares registered directly with our transfer agent

If a shareholder holds shares registered in the shareholder’s own name with our transfer agent (less than 0.1% of our shareholders hold shares this way) and wants to make a change to how the shareholder receives dividends, please contact our plan administrator, American Stock Transfer and Trust Company LLC by calling (888) 888-0313 or by mailing American Stock Transfer and Trust Company LLC, 6201 15^th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219.

EARNINGS CONFERENCE CALL

Prospect will host an earnings call on Monday November 8, 2021 at 11:00 am. Eastern Time. Dial 888-338-7333. For a replay prior to December 8, 2021 visit www.prospectstreet.com or call 877-344-7529 with passcode 10161789.

PROSPECT CAPITAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
(in thousands, except share and per share data)

PROSPECT CAPITAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except share and per share data)

PROSPECT CAPITAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
ROLLFORWARD OF NET ASSET VALUE PER COMMON SHARE
(in actual dollars)

(1)  Per share data amount is based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period presented (except for dividends to stockholders which is based on actual rate per share).

(2)   Common stock transactions include the effect of our issuance of common stock in public offerings (net of underwriting and offering costs), shares issued in connection with our common stock dividend reinvestment plan, common shares issued to acquire investments and common shares repurchased below net asset value pursuant to our Repurchase Program, and common shares issued pursuant to the Holder Optional Conversion of our 5.50% preferred stock.

(3)   Diluted net increase from operations was $0.52 the three months ended September 30, 2021.

(4)   Not finalized for the respective fiscal period.

MIDDLE-MARKET LOAN PORTFOLIO COMPANY WEIGHTED AVERAGE EBITDA AND NET LEVERAGE

Middle-Market Loan Portfolio Company Weighted Average Net Leverage (“Middle-Market Portfolio Net Leverage”) and Middle-Market Loan Portfolio Company Weighted Average EBITDA (“Middle-Market Portfolio EBITDA”) provide clarity into the underlying capital structure of PSEC’s middle-market loan portfolio investments and the likelihood that PSEC’s overall portfolio will make interest payments and repay principal.
    
Middle-Market Portfolio Net Leverage reflects the net leverage of each of PSEC’s middle-market loan portfolio company debt investments, weighted based on the current fair market value of such debt investments. The net leverage for each middle-market loan portfolio company is calculated based on PSEC’s investment in the capital structure of such portfolio company, with a maximum limit of 10.0x adjusted EBITDA. This calculation excludes debt subordinate to PSEC’s position within the capital structure because PSEC’s exposure to interest payment and principal repayment risk is limited beyond that point. Additionally, subordinated structured notes, other structured credit, real estate investments, investments for which EBITDA is not available, and equity investments, for which principal repayment is not fixed, are also not included in the calculation. The calculation does not exceed 10.0x adjusted EBITDA for any individual investment because 10.0x captures the highest level of risk to PSEC. Middle-Market Portfolio Net Leverage provides PSEC with some guidance as to PSEC’s exposure to the interest payment and principal repayment risk of PSEC’s overall debt portfolio. PSEC monitors its Middle-Market Portfolio Net Leverage on a quarterly basis.

Middle-Market Portfolio EBITDA is used by PSEC to supplement Middle-Market Portfolio Net Leverage and generally indicates a portfolio company’s ability to make interest payments and repay principal. Middle-Market Portfolio EBITDA is calculated using the EBITDA of each of PSEC’s middle-market loan portfolio companies, weighted based on the current fair market value of the related investments. The calculation provides PSEC with insight into profitability and scale of the portfolio companies within our overall debt investments.

These calculations include addbacks that are typically negotiated and documented in the applicable investment documents, including but not limited to transaction costs, share-based compensation, management fees, foreign currency translation adjustments and other nonrecurring transaction expenses.

Together, Middle-Market Portfolio Net Leverage and Middle-Market Portfolio EBITDA assist PSEC in assessing the likelihood that PSEC will timely receive interest and principal payments. However, these calculations are not meant to substitute for an analysis of PSEC’s our underlying portfolio company debt investments, but to supplement such analysis.

PRIMARY ORIGINATION STRATEGIES

Middle-Market Lending - We make directly-originated, agented loans to companies, including companies which are controlled by private equity sponsors and companies that are not controlled by private equity sponsors (such as companies that are controlled by the management team, the founder, a family or public shareholders). This debt can take the form of first lien, second lien, unitranche or unsecured loans. These loans typically have equity subordinate to our loan position. We may also purchase selected equity co-investments in such companies. In addition to directly-originated, agented loans, we also invest in senior and secured loans, syndicated loans and high yield bonds that have been sold to a club or syndicate of buyers, both in the primary and secondary markets. These investments are often purchased with a long term, buy-and-hold outlook, and we often look to provide significant input to the transaction by providing anchoring orders.

Middle-Market Lending / Buyout - This strategy involves purchasing senior and secured yield-producing debt and controlling equity positions in operating companies across various industries. We believe this strategy provides enhanced certainty of closing to sellers, and the opportunity for management to continue in their current roles. These investments are often structured in tax-efficient partnerships, enhancing returns.

Real Estate - We purchase debt and controlling equity positions in tax-efficient real estate investment trusts (“REIT” or “REITs”). The real estate investments of National Property REIT Corp. (“NPRC”) are in various classes of developed and occupied real estate properties that generate current yields, including multi-family properties, student housing, and self-storage. NPRC seeks to identify properties that have historically attractive occupancy rates and recurring cash flow generation. NPRC generally co-invests with established and experienced property management teams that manage such properties after acquisition.

Subordinated Structured Notes - We make investments in structured credit, often taking a significant position in subordinated structured notes (equity) and rated secured structured notes (debt). The underlying portfolio of each structured credit investment is diversified across approximately 100 to 200 broadly syndicated loans and does not have direct exposure to real estate, mortgages, or consumer-based credit assets. The structured credit portfolios in which we invest are managed by established collateral management teams with many years of experience in the industry.

ABOUT PROSPECT CAPITAL CORPORATION

Prospect Capital Corporation (www.prospectstreet.com) is a business development company that focuses on lending to and investing in private businesses. Our investment objective is to generate both current income and long-term capital appreciation through debt and equity investments.

We have elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”). We are required to comply with regulatory requirements under the 1940 Act as well as applicable NASDAQ, federal and state rules and regulations. We have elected to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, whose safe harbor for forward-looking statements does not apply to business development companies. Any such statements, other than statements of historical fact, are highly likely to be affected by other unknowable future events and conditions, including elements of the future that are or are not under our control, and that we may or may not have considered; accordingly, such statements cannot be guarantees or assurances of any aspect of future performance. Actual developments and results are highly likely to vary materially from any forward-looking statements. Such statements speak only as of the time when made. We undertake no obligation to update any such statement now or in the future.

For additional information, contact:

Grier Eliasek, President and Chief Operating Officer
grier@prospectcap.com
Telephone (212) 448-0702