Oaktree Specialty Lending

OCSL

Market cap $1.05B

There is a principle I have followed for 30 years in this business. When the smartest credit team on the planet starts aggressively buying a beaten-down asset class they understand better than anyone alive, you do not sit on your hands and debate whether the timing is perfect.

Oaktree Specialty Lending remains rated 'Hold' due to persistent high non-accruals and sub-optimal credit quality. OCSL trades at a 23% discount to NAV, reflecting elevated credit risk and recent dividend cuts. The BDC lowered its regular dividend by 25% but paid a supplemental dividend of $0.04, which lowered the effective dividend cut to 15%.

More than 1,500 stocks have reported earnings since the current season began in mid-April, and the average stock that has reported has seen an average absolute one-day share price reaction of roughly 7%. The last time we saw earnings vol spike was during the Financial Crisis bear market, when stocks were tanking. This time around, we're seeing earnings vol increase during a strong AI-driven bull market. Tech stocks are seeing record earnings day volatility as investors and traders presumably make snap judgements about AI's future impact on the bottom line.

These shares offer big yields but far more stability than investors expect. Recent market downturns enabled attractive entry points for big yields with capital gains. It's best to prepare for these opportunities in advance. Because we were already evaluating these shares regularly, we were able to jump on opportunities during the big dip.

BDC sector Q1 2026 earnings reveal widespread NAV contractions, impacting both discounted and premium BDCs. Despite NAV declines and negative price reactions, these adjustments are logical and not a signal to exit the BDC space. Price-to-NAV ratios remain attractive, with several BDCs trading at significant discounts post-earnings.

Oaktree Specialty Lending has been a structural underperformer for quite some time. The recent earnings report did not change anything. While the NAV dropped significantly and the dividend got cut yet again (as I predicted), I think that the actual situation is not that pessimistic.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (OCSL) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Oaktree Specialty Lending (OCSL) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.38 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.36 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.45 per share a year ago.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (NASDAQ:OCSL) (“Oaktree Specialty Lending” or the “Company”), a specialty finance company, today announced its financial results for the second fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2026. Financial Highlights for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2026 Total investment income was $70.4 million ($0.80 per share) for the second fiscal quarter of 2026 as compared to $75.1 million ($0.85 per share) for the first fiscal quarter of 2026. Adjusted.

I have gathered 20 BDC short interest statistics. What I found out surprised me - i.e., my top (quality) BDC picks are among the most shorted ones. In the article I've unpacked this situation and explained the potential drivers from the short sellers' perspective.