BDCs boosting leverage
- vai Leela Parker Deo at Reuters
- Apollo Investment (NASDAQ:AINV), FS Investment (NYSE:FSIC-OLD), PennantPark Floating Rate (NASDAQ:PFLT), and Gladstone Capital (NASDAQ:GLAD) are among those who have received board approval for increased leverage. Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) plans to discuss the same with its board.
- The moves come after last month's passage of the Small Business Credit Availability Act, which lowered asset coverage requirements for BDCs to 150% from 200% (effectively allowing max leverage of 2:1 vs. 1:1 previously).
- The industry had been working for more than five years for this change. Now that it has it, look for even more competition in the already-busy middle-market loan sector.
- Other players of interest: Prospect Capital (NASDAQ:PSEC), KCAP Financial (NASDAQ:KCAP), Saratoga Investments (NYSE:SAR), THL Credit (NASDAQ:TCRD)
- ETFs: BDCL, BDCS, BIZD, FGB, LBDC