Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending

NCDL

Market cap $664M

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE: NCDL) (“NCDL” or “the Company”), today announced it will report its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2025, on Thursday, February 26, 2026, before the market opens. The Company will host an earnings conference call and public webcast at 10:00 AM Eastern Time the same day to discuss its financial results. All interested parties may participate in the conference call by dialing (866)-60.

The Dividend Power strategy highlights 35 high-yield, low-valuation stocks, with 6 identified as 'safer' due to strong free cash flow coverage. The top ten DiviPower stocks are projected to deliver an average net gain of 40.62% by January 2027, with risk/volatility 14% below the market. Seventeen of thirty-five Dividend Power Dogs show negative free cash flow margins, signaling unsustainable dividends and elevated risk.

Investors have started to question how sustainable BDC dividends are. A lot of this skepticism is logical and justified by valid reasons. My calculus shows that on average BDCs could cut their dividends by 20% in order to avoid NAV erosion.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. is rated a sell due to declining NAV, weak earnings, and unsustainable dividend coverage. NCDL trades at a 22.46% discount to NAV, reflecting persistent headwinds, not a value opportunity. Net investment income fell to $0.43 per share, below the $0.45 dividend, signaling risk of a future cut.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. has recently been underperforming some of its closest peers. Yet, despite a material decline in share price, NCDL's P/NAV is almost exactly the same as for the sector median. In the article, I share my views on which direction NCDL is likely headed and why.

The December Dividend Power list identifies 35 high-yield stocks, with 14 offering 'safer' dividends backed by free cash flow yields exceeding dividend yields. Top actionable picks include Annaly Capital, Barings BDC, Noah Holdings, Blue Owl Capital, and SLR Investment, all meeting the dogcatcher ideal for safety and value. Analyst projections estimate average net gains of 38.75% for the top ten Dividend Power stocks by December 2026, with risk profiles generally below market average.

Small-cap stocks have finally started to wake up lately, which could be a bullish sign as we head into 2026. Let's remember that a smaller market capitalization does not necessarily mean a diminutive dividend—today we'll discuss four small caps that yield between 7.1% and 13.3%.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. ( NCDL ) Q3 2025 Earnings Call November 4, 2025 1:00 PM EST Company Participants Robert Paun - MD & Head of Investor Relations, Retail & Wealth Kenneth Kencel - CEO, President & Chairman Shaul Vichness - CFO & Treasurer Conference Call Participants Brian Mckenna - Citizens JMP Securities, LLC, Research Division Finian O'Shea - Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Research Division Cory Johnson - UBS Investment Bank, Research Division Arren Cyganovich - Truist Securities, Inc., Research Division Presentation Operator Welcome to Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp's Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Call. [Operator Instructions] As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded for replay purposes.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NCDL) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.43 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.46 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.58 per share a year ago.

BDCs have been clearly out of favor this year. Yet, there are some clear pockets of opportunity, which have started to showcase a nice momentum - just as I outlined in my recent BDC strategic piece. It does not mean, however, that all deep-discount BDCs will recover.