Capital Southwest Corporation·Financial Services

Despite significant market volatility creating seemingly attractive high yields across multiple sectors, not all income machines are created equal. I detail the factors that the market is overlooking that make Western Midstream Partners (WES) a compelling buy right now. I discuss the key factors that explain why an 11% yield is not enough to make me want to buy Capital Southwest (CSWC).

EPR Properties and Capital Southwest offer monthly dividends with average yields near 10%, providing reliable income amid market volatility. EPR trades at a forward P/AFFO of 9.25x, with a 7.3% yield, strong fundamentals, and a strategic shift away from theaters supporting long-term growth. CSWC, yielding 11.94%, benefits from a premium to NAV, low leverage (0.89x), robust undistributed taxable income, and no debt maturities until 2028.

Capital Southwest (NASDAQ:CSWC) pays a 10.6% dividend yield, and that number tends to stop income investors in their tracks.

Currently, BDCs provide very high-yield opportunities. The fact that additional interest rate cuts are unlikely to happen this year should theoretically support the existing levels. Yet for most BDCs, the damage has already been done.

Here is how Capital Southwest (CSWC) and Sierra Bancorp (BSRR) have performed compared to their sector so far this year.

Capital Southwest and NNN REIT offer high yields of 6–11% with strong balance sheets and diversified income streams. CSWC, an internally-managed BDC, has a 90% first-lien loan portfolio and a low expense structure. NNN REIT delivers stability with a 5.7% yield, 36 consecutive years of dividend increases, 98.3% occupancy, and a low forward P/FFO.
Capital Southwest Corporation is a business development company specializing in credit and private equity and venture capital investments in middle market companies, mezzanine, later stage, mature, late venture, emerging growth, buyouts, recapitalizations and growth capital investments. It does not invest in startups, publicly traded companies, real estate developments, project finance opportunities, oil and gas exploration businesses, troubled companies, turnarounds, and companies in which significant senior management is departing. In lower middle market, the firm typically invests in growth financing, bolt-on acquisitions, new platform acquisitions, refinancing, dividend recapitalizations, sponsor-led buyouts, and management buyouts situations. The investment structures are Unitranche debt, subordinated debt, senior debt, first and second lien debt, and preferred and common equity. The firm makes equity co-investments alongside debt investments, up to 20% of total check and only makes non-control investments. It prefers to invest in Industrial manufacturing and services, value-added distribution, healthcare products and services, business services, specialty chemicals, food and beverage, tech-enabled services and SaaS models. The firm seeks to invest in energy services and products, industrial technologies, and specialty chemicals and products. Within energy services and products, the firm seeks to invest in each segment of the industry, including upstream, midstream and downstream, excluding exploration and production with a focus on differentiated products and services, equipment and tool rental, consumable products, and drilling and completion chemicals. Within industrial technologies, it seeks to invest in automation and process controls, handling and packaging equipment, industrial filtration and fluid handling, measurement, monitoring and testing, professional tools, and sensors and instrumentation. Within and specialty chemicals and products, the firm seeks to invest in businesses that develop and manufacture highly differentiated chemicals and products including adhesives, coatings and sealants, catalysts and absorbents, cosmeceuticals, fine chemicals, flavors and fragrances, performance lubricants, polymers, plastics and composites, chemical dispensing and filtration equipment, professional and industrial trade consumables and tools, engineered solutions for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical installations, specified high performance materials for fire protection and oilfield applications. It may also invest in exceptional opportunities in building products. The firm seeks to invest in the United States. The firm seeks to make investments ranging from $5 to $25 million in securities. It seeks to make equity investments ranging from $5 million to $50 million and debt investments between $5 million and $20 million and co-invest in transaction size up to $40 million. It prefers to invest in companies with revenues approaching above $10 million, profitable operations, historical growth rate of at least 15 percent per year. Within the lower middle market, it seeks to invest in with less than $15 million in EBITDA and also opportunistically invests in the upper middle market, generally defined as companies with EBITDA in excess of $50 million. In addition to making direct investments, the firm allocates capital to syndicated first and second lien term loans in the upper middle market. Criteria for Upper Middle Market Syndicated 1st Lien is EBITDA Size more than $30 million, Closing Leverage greater than 4 times, investment hold size between $5 million and $7 million, investment yield greater than 6.5%. Criteria for Upper Middle Market Syndicated 2nd Lien is EBITDA Size more than $50 million, Closing Leverage greater than 6 times, investment hold size between $5 million and $7 million, investment yield greater than 9%. It prefers to take a majority and minority stake. The firm has the flexibility to hold investments for very long period in its portfolio companies. It may also invest through warrants. The firm prefers to take Board participation in its portfolio companies. Capital Southwest Corporation was founded on April 19, 1961 and is based in Dallas, Texas.
Financial Services
Asset Management
27
1980-03-17
0.77