NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE: NCDL) (“NCDL” or the “Company”), a business development company externally managed by its investment adviser, Churchill DLC Advisor LLC (the “Adviser”), and by its sub-adviser, Churchill Asset Management LLC (“Churchill”), today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024.

Financial Highlights for the Quarter Ended September 30, 2024

• Net investment income of $0.58 per share
• Net realized and unrealized gain on investments of $0.09 per share
• Net increase in net assets resulting from operations of $0.67 per share
• Net asset value ("NAV") per share of $18.15, compared to $18.03 per share as of June 30, 2024
• Paid third quarter regular distribution of $0.45 per share and the second of four special distributions of $0.10 per share on October 28, 2024, which represents a 12.1% total annualized yield based on the third quarter NAV per share
• Declared fourth quarter regular distribution of $0.45 per share

“We are pleased to report strong third quarter results, including $0.58 per share of net investment income, which fully covered our regular quarterly and special distributions, and an increase in our net asset value per share quarter-over-quarter,” said Ken Kencel, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCDL and Churchill. “Deal activity and originations across the Churchill platform continued at a strong pace this quarter, which benefited NCDL, and we believe the beginning of a rate reduction cycle will spur increased M&A activity in 2025. Looking ahead, we are excited about NCDL’s future prospects, as we believe we are well-positioned to take advantage of the significant opportunity we see in the private credit market and continue to deliver an attractive yield to our shareholders.”

“Our investment portfolio remains strong and healthy, reflecting the quality of the deal flow we have seen over the last several years, as well as our focus on diversification, a continued high-level of selectivity and a differentiated sourcing model,” said Shai Vichness, Chief Financial Officer of NCDL and Churchill. “With the strong originations we experienced during the quarter, we were able to increase our leverage ratio to the mid-point of our target range. Additionally, NCDL continues to have a strong balance sheet and liquidity position, as we have constructed a diversified capital structure that is match-funded to our floating rate assets with no near-term debt maturities.”

Distribution Declaration

The Company’s Board of Directors (the "Board") has declared a fourth quarter 2024 regular distribution of $0.45 per share payable on January 28, 2025 to shareholders of record as of December 31, 2024. On January 10, 2024, the Board declared four special distributions of $0.10 per share, to be paid over a one-year period, with the next distribution payable on January 28, 2025 to shareholders of record as of November 11, 2024.

PORTFOLIO AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

As of September 30, 2024, the fair value of the Company's portfolio investments was $2.05 billion across 202 portfolio companies and 26 industries. This compares to $1.99 billion as of June 30, 2024 across 198 portfolio companies and 26 industries.

As of September 30, 2024, the Company’s portfolio based on fair value consisted of approximately 90.1% first-lien loans, 8.3% subordinated debt investments, and 1.7% equity investments. As of June 30, 2024, the Company’s portfolio based on fair value consisted of 90.6% first-lien loans, 7.8% subordinated debt investments, and 1.6% equity investments.

For the three months ended September 30, 2024, the Company funded $203.2 million of portfolio investments and received $155.6 million of proceeds from principal repayments and sales, compared to $305.0 million and $100.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, respectively.

As of September 30, 2024 and June 30, 2024, the weighted average Internal Risk Rating of the portfolio at fair value was 4.2 and 4.1 (4.0 being the initial rating assigned at origination), respectively, and loans on non-accrual status represented 1.4% of total investments at amortized cost (or 0.5% of total investments at fair value) and 1.4% at amortized cost (or 0.5% at fair value), respectively. No new portfolio companies were put on non-accrual status during the quarter.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Investment Income

Investment income, primarily attributable to interest and fees on our debt investments, increased to $60.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024, from $41.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, primarily due to increased investment activity driven by an increase in deployed capital, slightly offset by a decrease in the weighted average yield of debt and income producing investments. As of September 30, 2024, the weighted average yield of debt and income producing investments at fair value decreased to 10.9%, compared to 11.9% as of September 30, 2023, as a result of market spread tightening and a decline in base rates.

Net Expenses

Net expenses increased to $28.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $20.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, primarily due to an increase in interest and debt financing expenses and management fees. Interest and debt financing expenses increased due to higher average daily borrowings, higher average interest rates, and the completion of two debt securitizations on December 7, 2023 and March 14, 2024, respectively. The increase in management fees was driven by the Company's increase in total assets. Under the terms of the advisory agreement, the Adviser is waiving the incentive fee on income and the incentive fee on capital gains for the first five quarters beginning with the calendar quarter in which the IPO was consummated (i.e., beginning with the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2024 through the calendar quarter ending March 31, 2025).

Net Realized Gain (Loss) and Net Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

For the three months ended September 30, 2024, the Company recorded a net realized gain of $1.1 million compared to a realized loss of $(13.1) million for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in the net realized gain was primarily driven by full or partial repayments and sales of certain of our investments. For the three months ended September 30, 2024, the Company recorded a net change in unrealized gain of $4.1 million, which resulted from an increase in fair value primarily attributable to market spread tightening and net positive credit performance of our portfolio companies in the third quarter of 2024. This compares to a net unrealized gain of $11.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023.

Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of September 30, 2024, the Company had $69.4 million in cash and cash equivalents and $1.1 billion in total aggregate principal amount of debt outstanding. Subject to borrowing base and other conditions, the Company had approximately $291.5 million available for additional borrowings under its existing credit facilities, as of September 30, 2024. At September 30, 2024, the Company's debt to equity ratio was 1.11x compared to 1.04x at June 30, 2024. On November 5, 2024, the SMBC Financing Facility was paid down using proceeds from a drawdown under the Company's Corporate Revolving Credit Facility and subsequently terminated.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST INFORMATION

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. will hold a conference call to discuss its third quarter 2024 financial results today at 11:00 AM Eastern Time. All interested parties may participate in the conference call by dialing (866) 605-1826 approximately 10-15 minutes prior to the call; international callers should dial +1 (215) 268-9877. Participants should reference Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. when prompted.

A live webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Events section of the Company's website at https://www.ncdl.com/news/events. A replay will be available under the same link following the conclusion of the conference call.

About Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (“NCDL”) is a specialty finance company focused primarily on investing in senior secured loans to private equity-owned U.S. middle market companies. NCDL has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. NCDL is externally managed by its investment adviser, Churchill DLC Advisor LLC, and by its sub-adviser, Churchill Asset Management LLC ("Churchill"). Both the investment adviser and sub-adviser are affiliates and subsidiaries of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”) the investment management division of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”) and one of the largest asset managers globally. Churchill is a leading capital provider for private equity-backed middle market companies and operates as the exclusive U.S. middle market direct lending and private capital business of Nuveen and TIAA. Churchill is a registered investment advisor and majority-owned, indirect subsidiary of TIAA.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains historical information and “forward-looking statements” with respect to the business and investments of NCDL, including, but not limited to, statements about NCDL’s future performance and financial performance and financial condition, which involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about us, our current and prospective portfolio investments, our industry, our beliefs, and our assumptions. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “may,” “continue,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “targets,” “projects,” “outlook,” “potential,” “predicts” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond NCDL’s control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in NCDL’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including changes in the financial, capital, and lending markets; general economic, political and industry trends and other external factors, and the dependence of NCDL’s future success on the general economy and its impact on the industries in which it invests. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date on which NCDL makes them. NCDL does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or any other information contained herein, except as required by applicable law.

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements