Dividend reset and $50M buyback at Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NCDL)
Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. reported solid but moderating results for the fourth quarter and full year 2025. For the quarter, net investment income was $0.44 per share and the net increase in net assets from operations was $0.32 per share. Net asset value per share edged down to $17.72 from $17.85.
For 2025, net investment income was $93.3 million, or $1.86 per share, down from $2.26 in 2024, while return on equity on net investment income was 9.8%. The company paid $1.90 per share of distributions in 2025 and has reset its regular quarterly distribution, declaring a first-quarter 2026 payout of $0.40 per share (regular $0.36 plus supplemental $0.04). The board also authorized a $50 million share repurchase program.
The investment portfolio stood at $2.0 billion across 227 portfolio companies, with 89.5% in first-lien debt and a weighted average yield of 9.6%. Credit quality remained strong, with only 0.5% of investments at fair value on non-accrual and a weighted average internal risk rating of 4.2. As of December 31, 2025, the company held $62.5 million in cash and cash equivalents, total debt of $1.1 billion, a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27x, and about $259 million of additional borrowing capacity on its revolving credit facility, supporting total liquidity of roughly $321 million.
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Insights
NCDL delivers solid credit metrics but trims its regular dividend amid lower net investment income.
NCDL generated Q4 2025 net investment income of $0.44 per share and a full-year ROE on net investment income of 9.8%. However, full-year net investment income per share fell from $2.26 to $1.86, reflecting lower portfolio yields and higher management and incentive fees after the March 2025 fee step-up.
Credit quality appears resilient. The $2.0B portfolio is 89.5% first-lien debt with only 0.5% of investments at fair value on non-accrual and a stable internal risk rating of 4.2. Non-accruals remain low even as realized and unrealized losses totaled $27.7M for 2025, modest relative to total assets.
Capital management is mixed. The regular quarterly distribution is reset to $0.36 plus a $0.04 supplemental, below the prior $0.45 regular payout, signaling a more conservative dividend level. At the same time, the board approved a $50M share repurchase program and ended 2025 with a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27x and liquidity of about $321M, leaving flexibility for future portfolio and capital allocation decisions.
8-K Event Classification
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FAQ
How did Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NCDL) perform in Q4 2025?
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How strong is NCDL’s portfolio credit quality as of December 31, 2025?
What were NCDL’s key full-year 2025 financial results?
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(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) | ||||||||||||
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) | |||||||
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | ||||||||
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | ||||||||
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | ||||||||
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) | ||||||||
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||||||||
| Item 2.02 | Results of Operations and Financial Condition. | ||||
| Item 7.01 | Regulation FD Disclosure. | ||||
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits | ||||
| Exhibit No. | Description | |||||||
| 99.1 | Press Release dated February 26, 2026 | |||||||
| 99.2 | Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings Presentation | |||||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) | |||||||
NUVEEN CHURCHILL DIRECT LENDING CORP. | |||||||||||
| Date: February 26, 2026 | By: | /s/ Kenneth J. Kencel | |||||||||
| Name: | Kenneth J. Kencel | ||||||||||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer and President | ||||||||||
Investor Relations
NCDL-IR@churchillam.com
Prosek Partners
Pro-churchill@prosek.com
December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | ||||||||||
Assets | |||||||||||
Investments | |||||||||||
Non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments, at fair value (cost of $2,001,207 and $2,098,575, respectively) | $ | 1,962,449 | $ | 2,081,379 | |||||||
Cash | 8,554 | 2,412 | |||||||||
Cash equivalents | 53,927 | 40,842 | |||||||||
Restricted cash | — | 50 | |||||||||
Interest receivable | 13,729 | 17,971 | |||||||||
Derivative asset, at fair value (Note 4) | 14,965 | — | |||||||||
Receivable for investments sold | 518 | 1,024 | |||||||||
Other assets | 327 | 47 | |||||||||
Total assets | $ | 2,054,469 | $ | 2,143,725 | |||||||
Liabilities | |||||||||||
Debt (net of $8,511 and $6,668 deferred financing costs, respectively, and net of unamortized discount of $471 and $0, respectively) (See Note 7) | $ | 1,115,052 | $ | 1,108,261 | |||||||
Payable for investments purchased | — | 14,973 | |||||||||
Interest payable | 15,350 | 12,967 | |||||||||
Incentive fees payable | 2,809 | — | |||||||||
Management fees payable | 5,048 | 3,956 | |||||||||
Collateral due to broker | 14,750 | — | |||||||||
Distributions payable | 22,224 | 29,468 | |||||||||
Directors’ fees payable | 156 | 128 | |||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | 3,900 | 3,652 | |||||||||
Total liabilities | 1,179,289 | 1,173,405 | |||||||||
Commitments and contingencies (See Note 8) | |||||||||||
Net Assets: (See Note 9) | |||||||||||
Common shares, $0.01 par value, 500,000,000 and 500,000,000 shares authorized, 49,387,065 and 53,387,277 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively | 494 | 534 | |||||||||
Paid-in-capital in excess of par value | 930,393 | 996,286 | |||||||||
Total distributable earnings (loss) | (55,707) | (26,500) | |||||||||
Total net assets | 875,180 | 970,320 | |||||||||
Total liabilities and net assets | $ | 2,054,469 | $ | 2,143,725 | |||||||
Net asset value per share (See Note 11) | $ | 17.72 | $ | 18.18 | |||||||
Three Months Ended December 31, | For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Investment income: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income | $ | 46,611 | $ | 53,683 | $ | 195,896 | $ | 213,096 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Payment-in-kind interest income | 2,870 | 2,275 | 9,868 | 8,299 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividend income | — | 257 | 402 | 614 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other income | 554 | 861 | 1,692 | 2,031 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total investment income | 50,035 | 57,076 | 207,858 | 224,040 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest and debt financing expenses | 17,947 | 21,019 | 77,901 | 79,879 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Management fees (See Note 6) | 5,048 | 3,956 | 19,269 | 14,683 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Incentive fees on net investment income (See Note 6) | 2,809 | 4,417 | 11,182 | 17,447 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Professional fees | 836 | 785 | 3,146 | 3,100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Directors' fees | 156 | 127 | 624 | 510 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Administration fees (See Note 6) | 606 | 300 | 2,341 | 1,861 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other general and administrative expenses | 802 | 180 | 2,124 | 1,068 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total expenses before expense support and incentive fees waived | 28,204 | 30,784 | 116,587 | 118,548 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Expense support (See Note 6) | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Incentive fees waived (See Note 6) | — | (4,417) | (2,253) | (17,447) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net expenses after expense support and incentive fees waived | 28,204 | 26,367 | 114,334 | 101,101 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income before excise taxes | 21,831 | 30,709 | 93,524 | 122,939 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Excise taxes | 186 | 551 | 186 | 551 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income | 21,645 | 30,158 | 93,338 | 122,388 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net realized gain (loss) on non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments | 2,065 | (11,676) | (6,013) | (13,198) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation): | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-controlled/non-affiliated company investments | (7,514) | 11,282 | (21,562) | 7,287 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Income tax (provision) benefit | (276) | (313) | (149) | (154) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) | (7,790) | 10,969 | (21,711) | 7,133 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | (5,725) | (707) | (27,724) | (6,065) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations | $ | 15,920 | $ | 29,451 | $ | 65,614 | $ | 116,323 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Per share data: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income per share - basic and diluted | $ | 0.44 | $ | 0.56 | $ | 1.86 | $ | 2.26 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations per share - basic and diluted | $ | 0.32 | $ | 0.54 | $ | 1.30 | $ | 2.15 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted | 49,387,055 | 54,229,767 | 50,286,270 | 54,118,379 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
For the Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||
Net funded investment activity | |||||||||||
New gross commitments at par 1 | $ | 302,546 | $ | 955,309 | |||||||
Net investments funded | 350,739 | 863,570 | |||||||||
Investments sold or repaid | (456,201) | (429,953) | |||||||||
Net funded investment activity | $ | (105,462) | $ | 433,617 | |||||||
Gross commitments at par 1 | |||||||||||
First-lien debt | $ | 266,857 | $ | 924,776 | |||||||
Subordinated debt | 22,270 | 26,088 | |||||||||
Equity investments | 13,419 | 4,445 | |||||||||
Total gross commitments | $ | 302,546 | $ | 955,309 | |||||||
Portfolio company activity | |||||||||||
Portfolio companies, beginning of period | 210 | 179 | |||||||||
Number of new portfolio companies | 58 | 68 | |||||||||
Number of exited portfolio companies | (41) | (37) | |||||||||
Portfolio companies, end of period | 227 | 210 | |||||||||
Count of investments | 528 | 475 | |||||||||
Count of industries | 26 | 27 | |||||||||
New investment activity | |||||||||||
Weighted average annual interest rate on new debt investments at par | 9.21 | % | 10.11 | % | |||||||
Weighted average annual interest rate on new floating rate debt investments at par | 8.92 | % | 10.02 | % | |||||||
Weighted average spread on new floating rate debt investments at par | 4.78 | % | 5.05 | % | |||||||
Weighted average annual coupon on new fixed rate debt investments at par | 12.73 | % | 13.53 | % | |||||||
Three Months Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||
Net funded investment activity | |||||||||||
New gross commitments at par 1 | $ | 59,372 | $ | 162,663 | |||||||
Net investments funded | 80,383 | 151,106 | |||||||||
Investments sold or repaid | (84,325) | (119,464) | |||||||||
Net funded investment activity | $ | (3,942) | $ | 31,642 | |||||||
— | |||||||||||
Gross commitments at par 1 | |||||||||||
First-lien debt | $ | 47,538 | $ | 159,436 | |||||||
Subordinated debt | 5,867 | 3,127 | |||||||||
Equity investments | 5,967 | 100 | |||||||||
Total gross commitments | $ | 59,372 | $ | 162,663 | |||||||
Portfolio company activity | |||||||||||
Portfolio companies, beginning of period | 213 | 202 | |||||||||
Number of new portfolio companies | 21 | 16 | |||||||||
Number of exited portfolio companies | (7) | (8) | |||||||||
Portfolio companies, end of period | 227 | 210 | |||||||||
Count of investments | 528 | 475 | |||||||||
Count of industries | 26 | 27 | |||||||||
New investment activity | |||||||||||
Weighted average annual interest rate on new debt investments at par | 8.81 | % | 8.96 | % | |||||||
Weighted average annual interest rate on new floating rate debt investments at par | 8.37 | % | 8.90 | % | |||||||
Weighted average spread on new floating rate debt investments at par | 4.72 | % | 4.59 | % | |||||||
Weighted average annual coupon on new fixed rate debt investments at par | 13.00 | % | 12.00 | % | |||||||