OCSL Stock Overview

In a November 2024 article, I made a case that we will see Oaktree Specialty Lending cutting its dividend quite soon. This has now happened. The base dividend has dropped by ~27%. The base dividend coverage stands now at 136%, which implies a significant margin of safety for the FWD 10.3% yield.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (NASDAQ:OCSL ) Q1 2025 Earnings Conference Call February 4, 2025 11:00 AM ET Company Participants Dane Kleven – Head-Investor Relations Armen Panossian – Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Investment Officer Raghav Khanna – Co-Chief Investment Officer Matt Pendo – President Chris McKown – Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Conference Call Participants Finian O'Shea – Wells Fargo Securities Matthew Hurwit – Jefferies Melissa Wedel – JPMorgan Operator Welcome and thank you for joining Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation's First Fiscal Quarter Conference Call. Today's conference call is being recorded.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (NASDAQ: OCSL) (“Oaktree Specialty Lending” or the “Company”), a specialty finance company, today announced its financial results for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2024.

Oaktree Specialty Lending remains a sell due to weak dividend coverage, no major improvements to non-accrual rates, and poor net investment income growth. OCSL's portfolio is heavily concentrated in software investments, making it vulnerable to sector struggles and higher interest rates. Despite a high dividend yield of 14%, the potential for a dividend cut looms due to declining earnings and portfolio quality.

OCSL's YTD total return is -14.87%, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 (+23%) and peers like GBDC (+11.92%). Q4-24 weighted average yield fell to 9.9% from 12% in Q4-23, signaling lower-quality investments. Key loans from Astra, nThrive, and Telestream entered nonaccrual status, impacting portfolio income and credit quality.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation faces higher short-term dividend risks and elevated non-accruals, leading to a 13% discount to net asset value. The BDC's non-accruals rose to 4% in Q4 2024, causing a decline in interest income and portfolio quality. Oaktree Specialty Lending's dividend payout ratio is at 100%, with just enough adjusted net investment income to cover dividends, raising concerns about future payouts.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (OCSL) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.55 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.56 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.62 per share a year ago.

LOS ANGELES, CA, Nov. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (NASDAQ: OCSL) (“Oaktree Specialty Lending” or the “Company”), a specialty finance company, today announced its financial results for the fiscal quarter and year ended September 30, 2024.

OCSL is a business development company oriented around debt investments (predominantly first-lien debt). Its seemingly defensive portfolio has struggled with rising non-accruals in 2024, resulting in decreasing NAV. Investors might be tempted by a relatively high yield, but they should be wary of the dividend coverage risk.