PART I
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Except as otherwise specified, references to “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company” refer to Kayne DL 2021, Inc., a Delaware corporation. We refer to KA Credit Advisors II, LLC, our investment adviser, as our “Advisor.” The Advisor also serves as our administrator (the “Administrator”). We refer generally to Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P., an affiliate of the Advisor, as “Kayne Anderson.”
Forward Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the company, current and prospective portfolio investments, the industry, beliefs and assumptions. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “may,” “continue,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “targets,” “projects,” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond control of the Company and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements, including:
We have based the forward-looking statements included in this report on information available to us on the date of this report. We assume no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Although we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, you are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports that we have filed or in the future may file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including annual reports on Form 10-K, registration statements on Form 10, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.
Item 1. Business
Overview
Kayne DL 2021, Inc. was formed as a Delaware corporation to make investments in middle-market companies and commenced operations on December 16, 2021. We are an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. In addition, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we intend to qualify, annually, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code.
We are managed by KA Credit Advisors II, LLC (the “Advisor”) which is an indirect subsidiary of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. (“KACALP” or “Kayne Anderson”). The Advisor is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisory Act of 1940, as amended. Subject to the overall supervision of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), the Advisor is responsible for originating prospective investments, conducting research and due diligence investigations on potential investments, analyzing investment opportunities, negotiating and structuring investments, determining the value of the investments and monitoring its investments and portfolio companies on an ongoing basis. The Board consists of five directors, four of whom are independent.
Investment Objective and Strategy
Our investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation primarily through debt investments in middle-market companies. We define “middle-market companies” as U.S.-based companies that, in general, generate between $10 million and $150 million of annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA. We refer to companies that generate between $10 million and $50 million of annual EBITDA as “core middle-market companies” and companies that generate between $50 million and $150 million of annual EBITDA as “upper middle-market companies.”
We intend to achieve our investment objective by investing primarily in first lien senior secured, unitranche and split-lien loans (collectively, “secured middle market loans”) to privately held middle-market companies. Similar to first lien senior secured loans, unitranche loans typically have a first lien on all assets of the borrower, but provide leverage at levels similar to a combination of first lien and second lien and/or subordinated loans. Split-lien loans are loans that otherwise satisfy the criteria of a first lien loan but which have been structured with a credit facility that is senior in right of payment with respect to working capital assets of the borrower and a term loan that is collateralized by all other assets of the borrower. Depending on market conditions, we expect that at least 90% of our portfolio (including investments purchased with proceeds from borrowings, if any) will be invested in secured middle market loans. It is anticipated that most of these investments will be in core middle market companies, with the remainder in upper middle market companies. The remaining 10% of our portfolio may be invested in higher-returning investments, including, but not limited to, equity securities purchased in conjunction with secured middle market loans and other opportunistic investments (collectively “Opportunistic Investments”), including junior debt, real estate debt and infrastructure credit investments. We expect that the secured middle market loans we invest in will generally have stated maturities of no more than six years.
We intend to execute on our investment objective by (1) accessing the established loan sourcing channels developed by Kayne Anderson’s middle market private credit team, which includes an extensive network of private equity firms, other middle-market lenders, financial advisors and intermediaries, and management teams, (2) selecting investments within our middle-market company focus, (3) implementing Kayne Anderson’s middle market private credit team’s proven underwriting process, and (4) drawing upon the experience and resources of our Advisor’s investment team and the broader Kayne Anderson network.