Horizon Technology Finance Stock: A High Quality, 10.4% Yielding Tech-Focused BDC (HRZN)

Horizon Engineering Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:HRZN) experienced a 24% valuation lower in 2022, and the organization progress enterprise is now truly worth obtaining at book benefit.

Horizon Technologies Finance is a high-yielding, know-how-focused BDC with a produce that not too long ago surpassed 10%. To guidance its growth, the organization development corporation has a secured, personal debt-oriented financial commitment portfolio.

Horizon Know-how Finance’s credit rating portfolio is accomplishing nicely, and the inventory could inevitably trade at a higher reserve worth many.

Another Gem In the BDC Sector

Enterprise development organizations have experienced significant valuation losses in 2022, owing to investors’ expectation that economic downturn things will have an affect on the sector’s prospective buyers for e-book value progress.

During recessions, it is extra challenging for company improvement companies to make good progress in critical metrics these as internet financial commitment money (due to portfolio earnings pressure) and reserve value (owing to strain on credit rating top quality which tends to enhance all through recessions).

With that stated, I believe that it is time for dividend investors to target BDCs that, because of to their credit performance and floating level exposure, have the prospective to outperform the sector.

Horizon Technologies Finance is a regular monthly-spending specialty finance organization with a speedily expanding financial investment portfolio. The portfolio had 50 credit card debt investments and 81 warrant positions as of March 31, 2022.

Debt investments designed by the BDC are generally Senior Phrase Loans that provide the BDC with a superior degree of money protection. In March, the firm’s financial debt, warrant, and equity positions ended up valued at $515 million, and the BDC was invested at a 12.4% annualized regular portfolio generate.

Horizon Know-how Finance is an appealing dividend expenditure because it mainly invests in development-phase companies in the technological innovation, lifestyle science, health care facts, and products and services industries, and it participates in the upside of people corporations via equity and warrant positions.

Horizon Technologies Finance is very similar in several means to Hercules Cash, a different BDC that seeks to capitalize on equity upside in unique technology niches.

Horizon Know-how Finance has made and nurtured a engineering-target in enterprise capital, which is where by the BDC sees the biggest chance for large returns. The BDC is effectively-diversified and steers apparent of cyclical industries that pose earnings and dollars movement risks. Biotechnology as an marketplace accounts for 22% of the BDC’s whole market publicity.

NII Exceeds Distributions

Horizon Technologies Finance’s portfolio generated $1.41 per share in web financial investment profits in 2021, although BDC paid out out $1.25 for each share, implying an 89% pay-out ratio. The dividend shell out-out ratio was 90% from 2019 to 2021, so investors can moderately assume that the $.10 for each share monthly dividend is sustainable.

Sail By The Up coming Interest Amount Climbing Cycle With Horizon Technologies Finance

The central bank is aggressively elevating costs, generating now an excellent time to select BDCs with the best sum of floating fee exposure.

Horizon Technology Finance constructions its finance promotions very carefully to ensure 100% floating fee exposure, which suggests HRZN has additional floating charge publicity than the regular business enterprise improvement business in the sector.

This indicates that a substantial improve in interest fees will gain Horizon Technological innovation Finance much more than other BDCs. Based mostly on the BDC’s fascination sensitivity table, a 200-basis-place boost in desire costs is expected to final result in a $8.26 million increase in Horizon Technologies Finance’s net belongings.

Investing At Guide Value

Because of their similarities in targeted industries and deal constructions, I imagine Hercules Funds is the best comparable for Horizon Technologies Finance. Hercules Funds has a P/B ratio of 1.3x, owing to the BDC’s enormous success with its tech-focused expenditure approach that combines fascination payments with fairness upside.

Simply because the current market rewards HTGC for the regularity of its portfolio results, the BDC trades at a top quality to book benefit. Horizon Technology Finance at the moment has a P/B ratio of 1.0x, implying that HRZN may perhaps be a better get than Hercules Money centered exclusively on guide price.

Are There Any Asset Top quality Challenges?

Right now, I you should not see any big concerns. Horizon Know-how Finance experienced a person financial loan that was past thanks as of March 31, 2022. The price tag of this financial commitment was $11.9 million, and the honest price was $5.5 million. On a reasonable price foundation, the non-accrual ratio was about 1%, based on the full portfolio worth of $515 million.

Why Horizon Technological innovation Finance Could See A Lower Stock Rate

To get up-to-day details about Horizon Know-how Finance’s portfolio overall performance, buyers should intently keep an eye on the BDC’s ebook worth trend and non-accrual ratio. With only a single non-accrual expense, I might say portfolio high-quality is potent, but points can always adjust for the even worse, particularly if the BDC sector is destabilized by a recession.

My Summary

Now that Horizon Engineering Finance is trading at book price, the proposition turns into much more desirable.

HRZN is just one of the most effective bets in the BDC sector for rising desire rates since it is 100% uncovered to floating prices.

The dividend is protected and reasonably risk-free, when non-accruals are held to a minimal.

Horizon Technologies Finance is distinguished by its technological concentration, and equity appreciation success in the payment of special dividends.