Company Description
Prospect Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: PSEC) is a closed-end investment company based in the United States. According to its public disclosures, Prospect’s stated investment objective is to generate both current income and long-term capital appreciation through a combination of debt and equity investments. The company focuses on securities and commodity exchanges within the broader finance and insurance sector and has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code.
Business model and investment focus
Prospect Capital Corp invests mainly in senior and subordinated debt and equity of private companies for acquisitions, divestitures, growth, development, recapitalizations, and other corporate purposes. The company’s disclosures describe activity in first lien senior secured middle market loans, second lien senior secured loans, subordinated structured notes, unsecured debt and equity investments. Over time, Prospect has emphasized a rotation toward its core business of first lien senior secured middle market loans, with selected equity-linked investments, and a reduction in second lien loans and subordinated structured notes.
Prospect reports that, since its initial public offering in July 2004 through periods referenced in its earnings releases, it has invested over $22 billion across more than 450 investments, exiting over 350 of these investments. The company also reports realized gross internal rates of return on exited investments at the investment level, based on total capital invested and total proceeds from such exits, as disclosed in its financial results press releases.
Middle market lending strategy
In its middle market lending strategy, Prospect focuses on first lien senior secured loans to private businesses, including companies with smaller funded private equity sponsors, independent sponsors, and companies without third-party financial sponsors. Company disclosures indicate that this strategy represents a significant majority of its investment portfolio at cost. Originations in this area include new first lien loans and follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies to support acquisitions, working capital needs, organic growth initiatives and other objectives.
Examples disclosed in recent releases include first lien loan and preferred equity investments in Healthcare Venture Partners, LLC, described as a provider of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services, and a new investment in Verify Diagnostics LLC, described as a provider of advanced molecular diagnostic testing. Prospect has also reported the acquisition of QC Holdings, Inc., described as a provider of consumer credit operating under the "LendNation" brand in the United States and Canada, which became a portfolio company of Prospect following an all-cash transaction.
Real estate and other investment strategies
Prospect also reports a real estate property portfolio held through National Property REIT Corp. ("NPRC"). According to company disclosures, this portfolio is focused on developed and occupied cash flow multifamily investments. Since the inception of this strategy in 2012 and through the dates referenced in its releases, Prospect reports that it has exited dozens of property investments that generated stated unlevered investment-level gross cash internal rates of return and cash-on-cash multiples. The remaining NPRC portfolio, as disclosed, consists of a number of properties that have produced an income yield to Prospect and provide opportunities to recycle capital into first lien senior secured loans with selected equity-linked investments.
Prospect’s portfolio also includes equity-linked assets and corporate investments. The company has described efforts to exit targeted equity-linked assets, including real estate properties and certain corporate investments, as part of its portfolio optimization. It has reported sales of properties and significant assets within certain portfolio companies, with additional potential exits identified in its communications.
Capital structure and funding profile
Prospect’s filings and press releases describe a multi-year, long-term, laddered and diversified funding profile. This includes a revolving credit facility with aggregate commitments from multiple lenders, program notes, institutional bonds, convertible bonds, listed preferred stock and program preferred stock. The company has reported the retirement of certain debt maturities and the issuance of new unsecured institutional notes.
In October 2025, Prospect announced and then completed an institutional offering of approximately $167 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.5% Series A Notes due 2030. According to its Form 8-K filings, these Notes are general senior unsecured obligations of the company, bear interest at a fixed annual rate with quarterly payments, and are expected to list and trade on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Prospect has stated that it expects to use the net proceeds primarily for refinancing existing indebtedness and to maintain balance sheet liquidity, including potential investments in short-term debt instruments and other long-term investments consistent with its investment objective.
The company also discloses that it has raised significant capital from perpetual preferred stock offering programs. These preferred stock programs provide Prospect with a source of capital that does not create scheduled maturity risk, due to the perpetual term of multiple preferred tranches. Prospect has issued various series of preferred stock with stated dividend rates, including 5.35%, 5.50%, 6.50%, 7.50% and floating-rate series, and regularly declares monthly or quarterly dividends on these securities as described in its Form 8-K filings.
Dividend policy and DRIP
Prospect has a history of declaring monthly cash distributions to common shareholders, as reflected in its earnings-related press releases and Form 8-K filings. The company also declares dividends on its various preferred stock series, with record dates, payment dates and per-share amounts set out in its public disclosures.
Prospect has adopted a dividend reinvestment plan ("DRIP") that provides for reinvestment of distributions on behalf of shareholders who do not elect to receive cash. The company describes amendments to this plan under which the number of newly issued shares pursuant to the DRIP is determined by dividing the total dollar amount of the distribution by 95% of the closing market price per share of its stock on the valuation date, which the company characterizes as a 5% discount to the market price for participating shareholders. Prospect explains that shareholders interested in participating in the DRIP may need to work with their brokers or the transfer agent, depending on how their shares are held, to ensure enrollment under the company’s plan.
Corporate governance and stockholder base
Prospect Capital Corporation is incorporated in Maryland and maintains principal executive offices in New York, New York, as disclosed in its SEC filings. The company holds annual and special meetings of stockholders, which in recent years have been conducted virtually via live audio webcast. Its definitive proxy statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting describes the election of directors, voting procedures for holders of common and preferred stock, and the use of a proxy solicitor to help achieve a quorum.
The proxy materials note that, unlike many companies where a majority of shares are held by institutional investors, a majority of Prospect’s stockholders are retail investors who generally hold smaller numbers of shares. The company emphasizes the importance of each stockholder authorizing a proxy or voting at the meeting to allow business to be conducted.
Scale and portfolio composition
Prospect’s periodic financial results provide insight into the scale and composition of its investment portfolio. The company reports total investments at cost and at fair value, the number of portfolio companies and industries represented, and the allocation of investments among first lien debt, second lien debt, total senior and secured debt, subordinated structured notes, unsecured debt and equity investments. It also discloses metrics such as annualized current yields on all investments and on performing interest-bearing investments, as well as non-accrual loans as a percentage of total assets at cost and fair value.
These disclosures show that Prospect’s portfolio spans dozens of industries and includes both debt and equity positions. The company highlights a focus on first lien senior secured loans and a relatively small proportion of subordinated structured notes and unsecured debt, with equity investments representing a meaningful portion of total investments at fair value.
Trading and listings
Prospect Capital Corporation’s common stock trades on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol PSEC, as referenced in its press releases and SEC filings. In addition, the company has disclosed that its common stock and certain institutional notes are expected to list and commence trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the symbol "PSEC" for the common stock, in connection with its institutional notes offering.
Management alignment
Prospect’s financial results releases state that its senior management team and employees own a significant percentage of the company’s common shares outstanding, measured as a portion of net asset value. The company presents this ownership as a notable element of alignment between management and shareholders, with the percentage of common shares held by management and employees disclosed in its public communications.
Use cases for investors and analysts
For investors and analysts evaluating PSEC stock, Prospect’s disclosures provide detailed information on its investment strategies, portfolio composition, funding sources, dividend practices and governance structure. The company’s focus on first lien senior secured middle market loans, real estate through NPRC, and selected equity-linked investments, combined with its use of diversified funding instruments and perpetual preferred stock, are central themes in its communications.
Prospect’s regular financial reporting, including net investment income, net income or loss applicable to common shareholders, distributions to common shareholders, net asset value to common shareholders, and leverage and coverage ratios, offers a view into how its investment and funding strategies translate into results over time, as described in its earnings releases and related Form 8-K filings.