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Economic and Market Commentary

Unlocking Alternatives: Creating Opportunities with Flexible Capital

Within financing markets, there are few firms capable of providing bespoke, flexible capital to meet the needs of borrowers looking for structured solutions. This is where PIMCO’s capital solutions thrive. Watch to learn more about the hallmark of our opportunistic corporate credit strategies.

Text on screen: PIMCO

Text on screen: PIMCO provides services only to qualified institutions and investors. This is not an offer to any person in any jurisdiction where unlawful or unauthorized.

Text on screen: What exactly is flexible capital?

There are two key elements of flexible capital.

Text on screen: TITLE – Two key elements of flexible capital:, BULLETS – Structure is not pre-determined from the outset, Execution certainty trumps lowest cost

The first is that the structure is not predetermined from the outset by a boilerplate term sheet from a sponsor. For example, perhaps a company needs to raise $150 million, and they're not exactly sure of the best way to go about it.

Text on screen: Adam Gubner, Portfolio Manager, Head of U.S. Corporate Special Situations

Maybe it is a senior secured loan facility, or maybe it's a first lien and second lien. Or maybe they need to raise some preferred equity to entice somebody to put in that $150 million. So, there are very different terms offered from different capital providers.

The second is execution certainty – it trumps the lowest cost. These companies are much more focused on getting a deal done. They're open to price. They really have a capital need that they're looking to fill. It’s more important to them to have the right long-term partner for support and future growth vs. just seeking the lowest common denominator of cost.

Text on screen: TITLE – PIMCO’s capital solutions:, BULLETS – For borrowers: senior secured loans, second liens, junior capital, and even preferred equity, As a lender: return may come from cash interest, paid-in-kind (PIK) interest, upfront fees, prepayment fees, exit fees, and often some form of equity

Flexible capital is a hallmark of our opportunistic corporate strategy.

Senior secured loans, Second liens, junior capital, and even preferred equity are all often part of the solution we provide to borrowers. As a lender, we look at it from a total return perspective, with a focus on downside protection. Our return can come from cash interest, paid-in-kind interest, upfront fees, prepayment fees, exit fees, and often some sort of equity participation through warrants or straight equity.

Equity is not something you typically get in a standard direct lending transaction, but can be an important idiosyncratic return enhancer for a capital solutions deal.

Text on screen: What does flexible capital look like in action?

One of our more recent transactions was for a company in the space industry that makes satellites and is in its infancy.

Images on screen: Satellites in orbit

It recently won a very large contract from the Space Development Agency, and so the company needed to raise capital in order to execute on it.

It had two options. One, it could go out and sell equity, which would be highly dilutive.

Or two, it could look for some sort of alternative capital provider and partner.

Images on screen: PIMCO trade floor

This is where PIMCO was able to step in. The company was looking for about a $50 million initial loan. We put together a loan that was senior secured in nature.

It was priced at LIBOR plus 1100 basis points and two points upfront, an exit fee, and 2% of the company's common equity. We also put in covenants, including a minimum liquidity threshold.

FULL PAGE GRAPHIC: TITLE – Significant growth expected in the space industry. A bar chart is shown; the subtitle for the chart is The Global Space Industry is expected to grow from ~$350bn today to ~$1tn+ by 2040.  The chart on the left shows the size of the global space industry in 2020 as approximately $350bn. The chart on the right shows the estimated size of the global space industry in 2040 as approximately $1tn+. Which equals a 5% compound annual growth rate.

While $50 million was a small initial size, we also believed that this company would have opportunities to grow. Sure enough, they won a follow-on contract with the government. That was much larger than the first one and again they needed to raise additional capital in order to execute on it. And so we provided them with a further $80 million loan at similar terms as the initial one, but we increased our common equity holdings from 2% to 5.5%.

All in all, we invested about $130 million into the company at a very attractive coupon of LIBOR plus 1100, and currently own 5.5% of the company.

Text on screen: Looking ahead, where does PIMCO see opportunities to commit flexible capital?

FULL PAGE GRAPHIC: TITLE – Current investment themes:, LIST – Growth & Tech Oriented Companies: Technology leaders poised for secular growth, E.g.  American satellite manufacturer. Consumer & Residential Services: Consumer/residential services and goods providers with scalable business models, E.g. Residential HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) services provider. Infrastructure-Related: Well positioned infrastructure providers with high barriers to entry, E.g.North American transportation infrastructure provider

Industry-wise, we see opportunities across sectors with strong secular tailwinds, such as consumer & residential services and goods providers with scalable business models, and well-positioned infrastructure providers with high barriers to entry. We think technology and growth-oriented companies are also going to be pretty interesting.

The private debt market is now standing at about $1.2 trillion vs. about $250 billion during the global financial crisis. It’s grown by 50% just since 2019. Private markets have become an important pipeline for companies to find financing solutions that public markets are unable to accommodate.

Text on screen: TITLE – Private capital solutions has become a critical component of financing markets, BULLETS – Direct lending funds & business development companies make up most of the market, Growth in flexible special situation financing has lagged broader growth of private debt – representing opportunity

Direct lending funds/BDCs make up most of the private lending market, and are focused exclusively on senior loans to performing companies – they often can’t provide terms and structures needed to meet acute liquidity needs, business challenges, facilitate high growth, etc. There are few firms capable of providing bespoke, flexible capital to meet the needs of borrowers looking for structured solutions. This less crowded segment of capital solutions is where PIMCO focuses its lending activity and deal sourcing. 

Text on screen: For more insights and information, visit pimco.com

Text on screen: PIMCO

Disclosure


Preqin (GFC as of 31 December 2008, Today as of 31 December 2021). Private market size includes the following geographic focuses: North America, Europe, Africa, Americas, Asia, Australia, Middle East & Israel, and multi-regional.

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy interests in a fund or any other PIMCO trading strategy or investment product.

The investment strategies discussed herein are speculative and involve a high degree of risk. References, either general or specific, to securities and/or issuers are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as, recommendations to purchase or sell such securities. There can be no assurance that the themes discussed will produce the desired results or achieve any particular level of return.

The sample investment is presented for illustrative purposes only, as a general example of the types of investments that may be acquired by PIMCO in the future, as well as PIMCO’s capabilities in sourcing, modeling and managing such investments. This example is not intended to represent any particular product or strategy's performance or how any particular product or strategy will be invested or allocated at any particular time. There can be no guarantee that PIMCO will continue to have access to comparable investments, or that PIMCO will continue to utilize similar strategies or techniques in connection with its future investments. The information presented herein is as of a specific date, may have changed since such time and is subject to future change.

A word about risk: All investments contain risk and may lose value. Private credit involves an investment in non-publically traded securities  which are subject to illiquidity risk. Portfolios that invest in private credit may be leveraged and may engage in speculative investment practices that increase the risk of investment loss. Equity investments may decline in value due to both real and perceived general market, economic and industry conditions, while debt investments are subject to credit, interest rate and other risks. It should not be assumed, and no representation is made, that past investment performance is reflective of future results. Nothing herein should be deemed to be a prediction or projection of future performance.

Certain information contained herein concerning economic trends and/or data is based on or derived from information provided by independent third-party sources.  PIMCO believes that the sources from which such information has been obtained are reliable; however, it cannot guarantee the accuracy of such information and has not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of such information or the assumptions on which such information is based.

Certain information contained in this presentation constitutes “forward-looking statements,” which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “project,” “estimate,” “intend,” “continue,” or “believe,” or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology.  Due to various risks and uncertainties, actual events or results or the actual performance of any investment may differ from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements.

This material contains the opinions of the manager and such opinions are subject to change without notice. This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed.

PIMCO as a general matter provides services to qualified institutions, financial intermediaries and institutional investors. Individual investors should contact their own financial professional to determine the most appropriate investment options for their financial situation. This is not an offer to any person in any jurisdiction where unlawful or unauthorized. | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660 is regulated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. | PIMCO Europe Ltd (Company No. 2604517, 11 Baker Street, London W1U 3AH, United Kingdom) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (12 Endeavour Square, London E20 1JN) in the UK. The services provided by PIMCO Europe Ltd are not available to retail investors, who should not rely on this communication but contact their financial adviser. |  PIMCO Europe GmbH (Company No. 192083, Seidlstr. 24-24a, 80335 Munich, Germany), PIMCO Europe GmbH Italian Branch (Company No. 10005170963, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 37/Piano 5, 20122 Milano, Italy), PIMCO Europe GmbH Irish Branch (Company No. 909462, 57B Harcourt Street Dublin D02 F721, Ireland), PIMCO Europe GmbH UK Branch (Company No. FC037712, 11 Baker Street, London W1U 3AH, UK), PIMCO Europe GmbH Spanish Branch (N.I.F. W2765338E, Paseo de la Castellana 43, Oficina 05-111, 28046 Madrid, Spain) and PIMCO Europe GmbH French Branch (Company No. 918745621 R.C.S. Paris, 50–52 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris, France) are authorised and regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) (Marie- Curie-Str. 24-28, 60439 Frankfurt am Main) in Germany in accordance with Section 15 of the German Securities Institutions Act (WpIG). The Italian Branch, Irish Branch, UK Branch, Spanish Branch and French Branch are additionally supervised by: (1) Italian Branch: the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) (Giovanni Battista Martini, 3 - 00198 Rome) in accordance with Article 27 of the Italian Consolidated Financial Act; (2) Irish Branch: the Central Bank of Ireland (New Wapping Street, North Wall Quay, Dublin 1 D01 F7X3) in accordance with Regulation 43 of the European Union (Markets in Financial Instruments) Regulations 2017, as amended; (3) UK Branch: the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (12 Endeavour Square, London E20 1JN); (4) Spanish Branch: the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV) (Edison, 4, 28006 Madrid) in accordance with obligations stipulated in articles 168 and  203  to 224, as well as obligations contained in Tile V, Section I of the Law on the Securities Market (LSM) and in articles 111, 114 and 117 of Royal Decree 217/2008, respectively and (5) French Branch: ACPR/Banque de France (4 Place de Budapest, CS 92459, 75436 Paris Cedex 09) in accordance with Art. 35 of Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments and under the surveillance of ACPR and AMF. The services provided by PIMCO Europe GmbH are available only to professional clients as defined in Section 67 para. 2 German Securities Trading Act (WpHG). They are not available to individual investors, who should not rely on this communication. | PIMCO (Schweiz) GmbH (registered in Switzerland, Company No. CH-020.4.038.582-2, Brandschenkestrasse 41 Zurich 8002, Switzerland). The services provided by PIMCO (Schweiz) GmbH are not available to retail investors, who should not rely on this communication but contact their financial adviser. | PIMCO Asia Pte Ltd (Registration No. 199804652K) is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as a holder of a capital markets services licence and an exempt financial adviser. The asset management services and investment products are not available to persons where provision of such services and products is unauthorised. | PIMCO Asia Limited is licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission for Types 1, 4 and 9 regulated activities under the Securities and Futures Ordinance. PIMCO Asia Limited is registered as a cross-border discretionary investment manager with the Financial Supervisory Commission of Korea (Registration No. 08-02-307). The asset management services and investment products are not available to persons where provision of such services and products is unauthorised. | PIMCO Investment Management (Shanghai) Limited Unit 3638-39, Phase II Shanghai IFC, 8 Century Avenue, Pilot Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 200120, China (Unified social credit code: 91310115MA1K41MU72) is registered with Asset Management Association of China as Private Fund Manager (Registration No. P1071502, Type: Other) | PIMCO Australia Pty Ltd ABN 54 084 280 508, AFSL 246862. This publication has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of investors. Before making an investment decision, investors should obtain professional advice and consider whether the information contained herein is appropriate having regard to their objectives, financial situation and needs. | PIMCO Japan Ltd, Financial Instruments Business Registration Number is Director of Kanto Local Finance Bureau (Financial Instruments Firm) No. 382. PIMCO Japan Ltd is a member of Japan Investment Advisers Association, The Investment Trusts Association, Japan and Type II Financial Instruments Firms Association. All investments contain risk. There is no guarantee that the principal amount of the investment will be preserved, or that a certain return will be realized; the investment could suffer a loss. All profits and losses incur to the investor. The amounts, maximum amounts and calculation methodologies of each type of fee and expense and their total amounts will vary depending on the investment strategy, the status of investment performance, period of management and outstanding balance of assets and thus such fees and expenses cannot be set forth herein. | PIMCO Taiwan Limited is an independently operated and managed company. The reference number of business license of the company approved by the competent authority is (110) Jin Guan Tou Gu Xin Zi No. 020 . The registered address of the company is 40F., No.68, Sec. 5, Zhongxiao East Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City 110, Taiwan (R.O.C.), and the telephone number is +886 2 8729-5500. | PIMCO Canada Corp. (199 Bay Street, Suite 2050, Commerce Court Station, P.O. Box 363, Toronto, ON, M5L 1G2) services and products may only be available in certain provinces or territories of Canada and only through dealers authorized for that purpose. | PIMCO Latin America Av. Brigadeiro Faria Lima 3477, Torre A, 5° andar São Paulo, Brazil 04538-133. | No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America L.P. in the United States and throughout the world. ©2023, PIMCO.

CMR2023-0217-2747271

Within financing markets, there are few firms capable of providing bespoke, flexible capital to meet the needs of borrowers looking for structured solutions. This is where PIMCO’s capital solutions thrive. Watch to learn more about the hallmark of our opportunistic corporate credit strategies.

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