In This Article:
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Net Investment Income (NII): $0.84 per share, representing a 12.3% annualized return on equity.
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Net Asset Value (NAV) per Share: Increased by $0.12 to $27.39.
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New Debt Issuance: Nearly $1.2 billion issued through CLOs at a weighted average spread of 154 basis points over SOFR.
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Management Fee and G&A Costs: Among the lowest as a percentage of NAV across traded BDC peers.
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Non-Accrual Investments: 0.3% at cost and 0.2% at fair market value.
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Total Investments at Fair Value: $13.1 billion, a 9% increase from Q3.
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Liquidity Position: Increased to $2.4 billion.
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Weighted Average Yield on Performing Debt Investments: 10.4% this quarter.
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Dividend Distribution: Maintained at $0.77 per share.
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Total Investment Income: Record for the fund, up $49 million or 16% year over year.
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Outstanding Debt: Nearly $7.1 billion.
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Repayment Rate: 6% of the portfolio at fair value for 2024.
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Weighted Average Interest Rate on Borrowings: 5.17%, down from 5.45% last quarter.
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Leverage: Ending leverage at 1.1 times, slightly up from 1.12 times in Q3.
Release Date: February 26, 2025
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
Positive Points
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Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (NYSE:BXSL) reported a record total investment income for the fourth quarter.
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Net asset value per share increased for the ninth consecutive quarter, reaching $27.39.
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BXSL issued nearly $1.2 billion of new debt at market-tight spreads, showcasing strong financial management.
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The fund maintains a low non-accrual rate of 0.3% at cost, significantly below the industry average.
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BXSL's portfolio is predominantly composed of first lien secured loans, providing a strong defensive position.
Negative Points
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The start of the year is off to the slowest start since 2003 in terms of new M&A activity.
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The weighted average yield on performing debt investments decreased from 11.2% to 10.4% quarter-over-quarter.
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There is market uncertainty around tariffs and policy changes, potentially impacting future M&A activity.
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BXSL's new investments have lower average EBITDA compared to the rest of the portfolio, indicating a shift towards smaller companies.
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Spreads on new investments have tightened, which could impact future returns if not managed carefully.
Q & A Highlights
Q: Can you explain the strong quarter for new originations despite other platforms reporting slow deal activity? A: Brad Marshall, Co-Chief Executive Officer, explained that Blackstone's ability to originate deals during slow market periods is a key strength. Over half of their deals in the fourth quarter were proactively sourced by their team, leveraging their scale to create deal flow even when the market is slow.