Pre-Effective Amendment No.2 to Form N-2
Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 19, 2016

Securities Act Registration No. 333-205660

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-2

 

 

x Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933

x Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2

¨ Post-Effective Amendment No.

and/or

¨ Registration Statement Under the Investment Company Act of 1940

¨  Amendment No.

 

 

Apollo Investment Corporation

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in the Charter)

 

9 West 57th Street

New York, NY 10019

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (212) 515-3450

Joseph D. Glatt

Cindy Z. Michel

c/o Apollo Investment Corporation

9 West 57th Street

New York, NY 10019

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

Copies to:

Richard T. Prins, Esq.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Four Times Square

New York, New York 10036

 

 

Approximate date of proposed public offering:

From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement

 

 

If any securities being registered on this form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box    x

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

¨    when declared effective pursuant to section 8(c)


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CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Title of Securities Being Registered  

Amount Being

Registered

 

Proposed

Maximum

Offering

Price per Unit

 

Proposed

Maximum

Aggregate

Offering Price

 

Amount of

Registration Fee

Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (2)(3)

               

Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share (2)

               

Subscription Rights (2)

               

Warrants (4)

               

Debt Securities (5)

               

Units (6)

               

Purchase Contracts (7)

               

Total (8)

          $1,500,000,000 (8)   $174,300 (1)(9)

 

 

(1) Estimated pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, solely for the purpose of determining the registration fee. The proposed maximum offering price per security will be determined, from time to time, by the Registrant in connection with the sale by the Registrant of the securities registered under this registration statement. Prior to the initial filing of this registration statement, $1,045,720,000 aggregate principal amount of securities remained registered and unsold pursuant to Registration Statement No. 333-189817, which was initially filed by the Registrant on July 5, 2013. Pursuant to Rule 457(p), $142,637 of the total filing fee of $174,300 required in connection with the initial registration of $1,500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of securities under this registration statement is being offset against the $142,637 filing fee associated with the unsold securities registered under Registration Statement No. 333-189817, and an additional $31,663 is being paid in connection herewith. Upon effectiveness of this registration statement, the offering of securities pursuant to Registration Statement No. 333-189817 will be terminated.

 

(2) Subject to Note 8 below, there is being registered hereunder an indeterminate principal amount of common stock or preferred stock, or subscription rights to purchase shares of common stock as may be sold, from time to time separately or as units in combination with other securities registered hereunder.

 

(3) Includes such indeterminate number of shares of common stock as may, from time to time, be issued upon conversion or exchange of other securities registered hereunder, to the extent any such securities are, by their terms, convertible or exchangeable for common stock.

 

(4) Subject to Note 8 below, there is being registered hereunder an indeterminate principal amount of warrants as may be sold, from time to time, representing rights to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities.

 

(5) Subject to Note 8 below, there is being registered hereunder an indeterminate principal amount of debt securities as may be sold, from time to time. If any debt securities are issued at an original issue discount, then the offering price shall be in such greater principal amount as shall result in an aggregate price to investors not to exceed $1,500,000,000.

 

(6) Subject to Note 8 below, there is being registered hereunder an indeterminate principal amount of units issuable upon conversion or exchange of securities registered hereunder to the extent any such securities, are, by their terms convertible into or exchangeable for units, including upon the exercise of warrants or delivery upon settlement of purchase contracts. Each unit may consist of a combination of any two or more of the securities being registered hereby or debt obligations of third parties, including U.S. Treasury securities.

 

(7) Subject to Note 8 below, there is being registered hereunder an indeterminate principal amount of purchase contracts issuable upon conversion or exchange of securities registered hereunder to the extent any such securities are, by their terms convertible into or exchangeable for purchase contracts. Each purchase contract obligates the registrant to sell, and the holder thereof to purchase, an indeterminate number of debt securities, common stock, preferred stock or other securities registered hereunder.

 

(8) In no event will the aggregate offering price of all securities issued from time to time pursuant to this registration statement exceed $1,500,000,000.

 

(9) Previously paid.

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer and sale is not permitted.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUBJECT TO COMPLETION JANUARY 19, 2016

$1,500,000,000

 

 

LOGO

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Warrants

Debt Securities

Units

Subscription Rights

Purchase Contracts

 

 

Apollo Investment Corporation is a closed-end, externally managed, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company, or BDC, under the Investment Company Act of 1940, or 1940 Act. Our investment objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation. We invest primarily in various forms of debt investments including secured and unsecured debt, loan investments and/or equity in private middle market companies. We may also invest in the securities of public companies and structured products such as collateralized loan obligations and credit-linked notes. We fund a portion of our investment with borrowed money, a practice commonly known as leverage. We can offer no assurances that we will continue to achieve our objective.

Apollo Investment Management, L.P., an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, LLC, a leading global alternative investment manager, serves as our investment adviser. Apollo Investment Administration, LLC provides the administrative services necessary for us to operate.

We may offer, from time to time, in one or more offerings, together or separately, up to $1,500,000,000 of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, units, subscription rights, purchase contracts or warrants representing rights to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, which we refer to, collectively, as the “securities.” The securities may be offered at prices and on terms to be described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. Pursuant to approval granted at a special meeting of stockholders held on August 5, 2015, we currently are permitted to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below net asset value, subject to certain limitations and determinations that must be made by our board of directors.

Our common stock is quoted on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “AINV.” The last reported closing price for our common stock on January 15, 2016 was $5.00 per share.

This prospectus, and the accompanying prospectus supplement, contains important information you should know before investing in our securities. Please read it before you invest and keep it for future reference. We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This information is available free of charge by contacting us at 9 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 or by calling us collect at (212) 515-3450 or on our website at www.apolloic.com. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains such information free of charge.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk and is highly speculative. Before buying any securities, you should read the discussion of the material risks of investing in our securities in “Risk Factors” beginning on page 9 of this prospectus.

We invest in securities that have been rated below investment grade by independent rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated. These securities, which are often referred to as “junk” or “high yield,” have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. They may also be difficult to value and illiquid.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

 

 

The date of this Prospectus is                     , 2016.


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You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with additional information, or information different from that contained in this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement. If anyone provides you with different or additional information, you should not rely on it. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus or such prospectus supplement. We will update these documents to reflect material changes. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since then.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Prospectus Summary

     1   

Fees and Expenses

     6   

Risk Factors

     9   

Use of Proceeds

     41   

Distributions

     42   

Selected Financial Data

     44   

Forward-Looking Statements

     45   

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

     46   

Sales of Common Stock Below Net Asset Value

     60   

Price Range of Common Stock

     65   

Business

     66   

Management

     76   

Certain Relationships

     95   

Control Persons and Principal Stockholders

     96   

Portfolio Companies

     97   

Determination of Net Asset Value

     107   

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

     108   

Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations

     109   

Description of our Capital Stock

     116   

Description of our Preferred Stock

     123   

Description of our Warrants

     124   

Description of our Debt Securities

     125   

Description of our Units

     142   

Description of our Subscription Rights

     143   

Description of our Purchase Contracts

     144   

Regulation

     145   

Custodian, Transfer and Dividend Paying Agent, Registrar and Trustee

     149   

Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices

     149   

Plan of Distribution

     150   

Legal Matters

     151   

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     151   

Available Information

     152   

 

 

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using the “shelf” registration process. Under the shelf registration process, we may offer, from time to time, up to $1,500,000,000 of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, units, subscription rights, purchase contracts or warrants representing rights to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities on the terms to be determined at the time of the offering. The securities may be offered at prices and on terms described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that we may offer. Each time we use this prospectus to offer securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. If applicable, the prospectus supplement will identify any selling stockholders acting under the terms of certain registration rights agreements we may enter into from time to time. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Please carefully read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with any exhibits and the additional information described under the headings “Available Information” and “Risk Factors” before you make an investment decision.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights some of the information in this prospectus. It is not complete and may not contain all of the information that you may want to consider. You should read carefully the more detailed information set forth under “Risk Factors” and the other information included in this prospectus. In this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, except where the context suggests otherwise, the terms “we”, “us”, “our”, “Company” and “Apollo Investment” refer to Apollo Investment Corporation; “Apollo Investment Management”, “AIM” or “investment adviser” refers to Apollo Investment Management, L.P.; “Apollo Administration” or “AIA” refers to Apollo Investment Administration, LLC; and “Apollo” refers to the affiliated companies of Apollo Investment Management, L.P.

APOLLO INVESTMENT

Apollo Investment Corporation, a Maryland corporation organized on February 2, 2004, is a closed-end, externally managed, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”). In addition, for tax purposes we have elected to be treated as a regulated investment company, or RIC, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

Our investment objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation. We invest primarily in various forms of debt investments including secured and unsecured debt, loan investments and/or equity in private middle market companies. We may also invest in the securities of public companies and structured products such as collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and credit-linked notes (“CLNs”). A CLO is a form of securitization in which the cash flows of a portfolio of loans are pooled and passed on to different classes of owners in various tranches. A CLN is a note where the payment of principal and/or interest is based on the performance of one or more debt obligations. CLNs are not securitizations.

Our portfolio is comprised primarily of investments in debt, including secured and unsecured debt of private middle-market companies that, in the case of senior secured loans, generally are not broadly syndicated and whose aggregate tranche size is typically less than $250 million. Our portfolio also includes equity interests such as common stock, preferred stock, warrants or options. In this prospectus, we use the term “middle-market” to refer to companies with annual revenues between $50 million and $2 billion. While our investment objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation through investments in U.S. secured and unsecured loans, other debt securities and equity, we may also invest a portion of the portfolio in other investment opportunities, including foreign securities and structured products. Most of the debt instruments we invest in are unrated or rated below investment grade, which is an indication of size, credit worthiness and speculative nature relative to the capacity to pay interest and principal. Generally, if the Company’s unrated investments were rated, they would be rated below investment grade. These securities, which are often referred to as “junk” or “high yield,” have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. They may also be difficult to value and illiquid.

AIM is our investment adviser and an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, LLC, and its consolidated subsidiaries (“AGM”). AGM and other affiliates manage other funds that may have investment mandates that are similar, in whole or in part, with ours. AIM and its affiliates may determine that an investment is appropriate both for us and for one or more of those other funds. In such event, depending on the availability of such investment and other appropriate factors, AIM may determine that we should invest on a side-by-side basis with one or more other funds. We make all such investments subject to compliance with applicable regulations and interpretations, and our allocation procedures. In certain circumstances negotiated co-investments may be made only if we receive an order from the SEC permitting us to do so. There can be no assurance that any such order will be obtained.

 



 

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During our fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, we invested $2.2 billion across 60 new and 47 existing portfolio companies through a combination of primary and secondary debt investments. This compares to $2.8 billion across 81 new and 50 existing portfolio companies for the previous fiscal year ended March 31, 2014. Investments sold or repaid during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 totaled $2.3 billion versus $2.3 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014. The weighted average yields on our secured debt portfolio, unsecured debt portfolio and total debt portfolio as of March 31, 2015 at our current cost basis were 11.2%, 10.9% and 11.2%, respectively. At March 31, 2014, the yields were 10.8%, 11.5% and 11.1%, respectively. The portfolio yields may be higher than an investor’s yield on an investment in us due to sales load and other expenses. For the year ended March 31, 2015, the total return based on the change in market price per share and taking into account dividends and distributions, if any, reinvested in accordance with the dividend reinvestment plan was 1.9% versus 9.4% for the year ended March 31, 2014. Such returns do not reflect any sales load that stockholders may have paid in connection with their purchase of shares of our common stock.

At March 31, 2015, our portfolio consisted of 105 portfolio companies and was invested 60% in secured debt, 14% in unsecured debt, 11% in structured products and other, 5% in preferred equity and 10% in common equity and warrants measured at fair value versus 111 portfolio companies invested 56% in secured debt, 27% in unsecured debt, 6% in structured products and other, 3% in preferred equity and 8% in common equity and warrants at March 31, 2014.

Since the initial public offering of Apollo Investment in April 2004 and through March 31, 2015, invested capital totaled $15.4 billion in 350 portfolio companies. Over the same period, Apollo Investment completed transactions with more than 100 different financial sponsors.

At March 31, 2015, 48% or $1.3 billion of our income-bearing investment portfolio is fixed rate debt and 52% or $1.4 billion is floating rate debt, measured at fair value. On a cost basis, 50% or $1.4 billion of our income-bearing investment portfolio is fixed rate debt and 50% or $1.4 billion is floating rate debt. At March 31, 2014, 58% or $1.7 billion of our income-bearing investment portfolio was fixed rate debt and 42% or $1.3 billion was floating rate debt, measured at fair value. On a cost basis, 58% or $1.7 billion of our income-bearing investment portfolio was fixed rate debt and 42% or $1.2 billion was floating rate debt.

ABOUT APOLLO INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

AIM, our investment adviser, is led by John Hannan, James Zelter and Edward Goldthorpe. Potential investment and disposition opportunities are generally approved by one or more committees composed of personnel across AGM, including Mr. Zelter and Mr. Goldthorpe, and/or Mr. Zelter or Mr. Goldthorpe depending on the underlying investment type and/or the amount of such investment. The composition of such committees and the overall approval process for our investments may change from time to time. AIM draws upon AGM’s more than 25 year history and benefits from the broader firm’s significant capital markets, trading and research expertise developed through investments in many core sectors in over 200 companies since inception.

ABOUT APOLLO INVESTMENT ADMINISTRATION

In addition to furnishing us with office facilities, equipment, and clerical, bookkeeping and record keeping services, AIA, an affiliate of AGM, also oversees our financial records as well as prepares our reports to stockholders and reports filed with the SEC. AIA also performs the calculation and publication of our net asset value, the payment of our expenses and oversees the performance of various third-party service providers and the preparation and filing of our tax returns. Furthermore, AIA provides on our behalf managerial assistance to those portfolio companies to which we are required to provide such assistance.

 



 

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OPERATING AND REGULATORY STRUCTURE

Our investment activities are managed by AIM and supervised by our board of directors, a majority of whom are independent of AGM and its affiliates. AIM is an investment adviser that is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, or the Advisers Act. Under our investment advisory and management agreement, we pay AIM an annual base management fee based on our average gross assets as well as an incentive fee. See “Management—Investment Advisory and Management Agreement.”

As a BDC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. Also, while we are permitted to finance investments using debt, our ability to use debt is limited in certain significant respects. See “Regulation.” We have elected to be treated for federal income tax purposes as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. For more information, see “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

The net asset value per share of our outstanding shares of common stock is determined quarterly by dividing the value of our total assets minus our liabilities by the total number of our shares outstanding.

In calculating the value of our total assets, we value investments for which market quotations are readily available at such market quotations if they are deemed to represent fair value. Market quotations may be deemed not to represent fair value in certain circumstances where AIM believes that facts and circumstances applicable to an issuer, a seller or purchaser or the market for a particular security causes current market quotes to not reflect the fair value of the security. Examples of these events could include cases in which material events are announced after the close of the market on which a security is primarily traded, when a security trades infrequently causing a quoted purchase or sale price to become stale or in the event of a “fire sale” by a distressed seller. Debt and equity securities that are not publicly traded or whose market price is not readily available or whose market quotations are not deemed to represent fair value are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by, or under the direction of, our board of directors pursuant to a written valuation policy and a consistently applied valuation process utilizing the input of our investment adviser, independent valuation firms, and the audit committee. Because there is no readily available market value for a significant portion of the investments in our portfolio, we value these portfolio investments at fair value as determined in good faith by the board of directors.

Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of our investments, the value of our investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a readily available market existed for such investments, and the differences could be material. Determination of fair values involves subjective judgments and estimates not susceptible to substantiation by auditing procedures. Accordingly, under current accounting standards, the notes to our financial statements refer to the uncertainty with respect to the possible effect of such valuations, and any change in such valuations, on our financial statements. For more information, see “Determination of Net Asset Value.”

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of our securities pursuant to this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which include investing in portfolio companies in accordance with our investment objective and strategies and repaying indebtedness incurred under our senior credit facility.

We anticipate that substantially all of the net proceeds of an offering of securities pursuant to this prospectus will be used for the above purposes within two years, depending on the availability of appropriate investment opportunities consistent with our investment objective and market conditions. Our portfolio is comprised primarily of investments in debt, including secured and unsecured debt of private-middle market

 



 

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companies that, in the case of senior secured loans, generally are not broadly syndicated and whose aggregate tranche size is typically less than $250 million. Our portfolio also includes equity interests such as common stock, preferred stock, warrants or options. Pending such investments, we will use the net proceeds of an offering to invest in cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less from the date of investment, to reduce then-outstanding obligations under our credit facility or for other general corporate purposes. The supplement to this prospectus relating to an offering will more fully identify the use of the proceeds from such offering. For more information, see “Use of Proceeds.”

DISTRIBUTIONS ON COMMON STOCK

We intend to continue to pay dividends or make other distributions on a quarterly basis to our common stockholders, however, we may not be able to maintain the current level of distribution payments, due to including, but not limited to, regulatory requirements. Our quarterly distributions, if any, will be determined by our board of directors. We expect that our distributions to shareholders generally will be from accumulated net investment income and from net realized capital gains, as applicable, although a portion may represent a return of capital. For more information, see “Distributions.”

DIVIDENDS ON PREFERRED STOCK

We may issue preferred stock from time to time, although we have no immediate intention to do so. If we issue shares of preferred stock, holders of such preferred stock will be entitled to receive cash dividends at an annual rate that will be fixed or will vary for the successive dividend periods for each series. In general, the dividend periods for fixed rate preferred stock will be quarterly.

DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN

We have adopted an “opt-out” dividend reinvestment plan that provides for reinvestment of our dividend distributions on behalf of our stockholders, unless a stockholder elects to receive cash. As a result, if our board of directors authorizes, and we declare, a cash dividend, then our stockholders who have not “opted out” of our dividend reinvestment plan will have their cash dividends automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, rather than receiving the cash dividends. A registered stockholder must notify our transfer agent in writing in order to “opt-out” of the dividend reinvestment plan. For more information, see “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.”

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may offer, from time to time, up to $1,500,000,000 of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, units, subscription rights, purchase contracts or warrants representing rights to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, on terms to be determined at the time of the offering.

Securities may be offered at prices and on terms described in one or more supplements to this prospectus directly to one or more purchasers, through agents designated from time to time by us, or to or through underwriters or dealers. The supplement to this prospectus relating to the offering will identify any agents or underwriters involved in the sale of our securities, and will set forth any applicable purchase price, fee and commission or discount arrangement or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), the maximum compensation to the underwriters or dealers in connection with the sale of our securities pursuant to this prospectus and the accompanying supplement to this prospectus may not exceed 8% of the aggregate offering price of the securities as set forth on the cover page of the supplement to this prospectus.

We may not sell securities pursuant to this prospectus without delivering a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities. For more information, see “Plan of Distribution.”

 



 

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CONTINUED USE OF LEVERAGE

The availability of leverage depends upon the economic environment. Given current market conditions, there can be no assurance that we will be able to utilize leverage as anticipated, if at all, and we may determine or be required to reduce or eliminate our leverage over time. The current global economic environment, the potential systemic risk arising from illiquidity and rapid de-leveraging in the financial system at large may continue to contribute to market volatility and may have long-term effects on the U.S. and international financial markets. We cannot predict how long the financial markets and economic environment will continue to be affected by these events and cannot predict the effects of these or similar events.

OUR CORPORATE INFORMATION

Our administrative and principal executive offices are located at 730 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10019 and 9 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, respectively. Our common stock is quoted on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “AINV.” Our Internet website address is www.apolloic.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and you should not consider information contained on our website to be part of this prospectus.

 

 



 

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FEES AND EXPENSES

The following table is intended to assist you in understanding the costs and expenses that an investor in shares of our common stock will bear directly or indirectly. We caution you that the percentage indicated for “Other expenses” in the table below is an estimate and may vary. Except where the context suggests otherwise, whenever this prospectus contains a reference to fees or expenses paid by “you,” “us” or “Apollo Investment,” or that “we” will pay fees or expenses, common stockholders will indirectly bear such fees or expenses as investors in Apollo Investment.

 

Stockholder transaction expenses:

  

Sales load (as a percentage of offering price)

     (1) 

Offering expenses (as a percentage of offering price)

     (2) 

Dividend reinvestment plan expenses

     (3) 

Total common stockholder transaction expenses (as a percentage of offering price)

     None   

Annual expenses (as percentage of net assets attributable to common stock) (4):

  

Management fees

     3.53 %(5) 

Incentive fees payable under investment advisory and management agreement

     2.50 %(6) 

Interest and other debt expenses on borrowed funds

     4.08 %(7) 

Other expenses

     0.83 %(8) 
  

 

 

 

Total annual expenses

     10.94 %(9) 
  

 

 

 

Example

The following example demonstrates the projected dollar amount of total cumulative expenses that would be incurred over various periods with respect to a hypothetical investment in our common stock. These dollar amounts are based upon the assumption that our annual operating expenses (other than performance-based incentive fees) and leverage would remain at the levels set forth in the table above. Transaction expenses are not included in the following example. In the event that shares of our common stock to which this prospectus relates are sold to or through underwriters, a corresponding prospectus supplement will restate this example to reflect the applicable sales load.

 

     1 year      3 years      5 years      10 years  

You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5% annual return

   $ 83       $ 240       $ 387       $ 712   

While the example assumes, as required by the SEC, a 5% annual return, our performance will vary and may result in a return greater or less than 5%. Assuming a 5% annual return, the incentive fee under the investment advisory and management agreement may not be earned or payable and is not included in the example. This illustration assumes that we will not realize any capital gains computed net of all realized capital losses and gross unrealized capital depreciation in any of the indicated time periods. If we achieve sufficient returns on our investments, including through the realization of capital gains, to trigger an incentive fee of a material amount, our expenses, and returns to our investors, would be higher. In addition, while the example assumes reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value, participants in our dividend reinvestment plan will receive a number of shares of our common stock, determined by dividing the total dollar amount of the dividend payable to a participant by the market price per share of our common stock at the close of trading on the valuation date for the dividend. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan” for additional information regarding our dividend reinvestment plan.

 



 

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Assuming, however, that the incentive fee under the investment advisory and management agreement is earned and payable, the following example demonstrates the projected dollar amount of total cumulative expenses that would be incurred over various periods with respect to a hypothetical investment in our common stock.

 

     1 year      3 years      5 years      10 years  

You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5% annual return

   $ 106       $ 300       $ 471       $ 818   

These examples and the expenses in the table above should not be considered a representation of our future expenses, and actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown.

 

(1) In the event that the securities to which this prospectus relates are sold to or through underwriters, a corresponding prospectus supplement will disclose the applicable sales load.

 

(2) The related prospectus supplement will disclose the estimated amount of offering expenses, the offering price and the offering expenses borne by us as a percentage of the offering price.

 

(3) The expenses of the dividend reinvestment plan per share are included in “Other expenses.”

 

(4) “Net assets attributable to common stock” equals net assets as of March 31, 2015.

 

(5) The contractual management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 2.00% of our average total assets. Annual expenses are based on estimated annual costs for the current fiscal year, which are based on prior year amounts adjusted for new debt and equity issuances. For more detailed information about our computation of average total assets, please see Note 3 of our financial statements dated March 31, 2015 included in this prospectus.

 

(6)

Assumes that annual incentive fees earned by our investment adviser, AIM, remain consistent with the incentive fees earned by AIM for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 adjusted for new debt and equity issuances, if applicable. AIM earns incentive fees consisting of two parts. The first part, which is payable quarterly in arrears, is based on our pre-incentive fee net investment income for the immediately preceding calendar quarter. Pre-incentive fee net investment income, expressed as a rate of return on the value of our net assets at the end of the immediately preceding calendar quarter, is compared to the rate of 1.75% quarterly (7% annualized). Our net investment income used to calculate this part of the incentive fee is also included in the amount of our gross assets used to calculate the 2% base management fee (see footnote 5 above). Accordingly, we pay AIM an incentive fee as follows: (1) no incentive fee in any calendar quarter in which our pre-incentive fee net investment income does not exceed 1.75%, which we commonly refer to as the performance threshold; (2) 100% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income with respect to that portion of such pre-incentive fee net investment income, if any, that exceeds the performance threshold but does not exceed 2.1875% in any calendar quarter; and (3) 20% of the amount of our pre-incentive fee net investment income, if any, that exceeds 2.1875% in any calendar quarter. These calculations are appropriately pro rated for any period of less than three months. The effect of the fee calculation described above is that if pre-incentive fee net investment income is equal to or exceeds 2.1875%, AIM will receive a fee of 20% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income for the quarter. You should be aware that a rise in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to higher interest rates applicable to our debt investments. Accordingly, an increase in interest rates would make it easier for us to meet or exceed the incentive fee performance threshold and may result in a substantial increase of the amount of incentive fees payable to our investment adviser with respect to pre-incentive fee net investment income. Furthermore, since the performance threshold is based on a percentage of our net asset value, decreases in our net asset value make it easier to achieve the performance threshold. The second part of the incentive fee will equal

 



 

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  20% of our realized capital gains for the calendar year, if any, computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation (and incorporating unrealized depreciation on a gross investment-by-investment basis) and is payable in arrears at the end of each calendar year. The net incentive fees are currently entirely attributable to net investment income incentive fees. For a more detailed discussion of the calculation of this fee, see “Management—Investment Advisory and Management Agreement.”

 

(7) Our interest and other debt expenses are based on estimated amounts for the annual current fiscal year, which are based on prior year amounts adjusted for new debt issuances. As of March 31, 2015, we had $860 million available and $385 million in borrowings outstanding under our $1.27 billion senior secured credit facility and $1.499 billion of total debt outstanding. As of March 31, 2015, the Company had $25 million in standby letters of credit issued through the senior secured credit facility. The amount available for borrowing under the senior secured credit facility is reduced by any standby letters of credit issued. On April 24, 2015, the Company amended and restated the senior secured credit facility. The amendment increased the lenders’ commitments to $1.31 billion, extended the final maturity date to April 24, 2020, and allows the Company to seek additional commitments from new and existing lenders in the future, up to an aggregate facility size not to exceed $1.965 billion. For more information, see “Risk Factors—Risks relating to our business and structure—We fund a portion of our investments with borrowed money, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and may increase the risk of investing in us” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” in this base prospectus.

 

(8) Includes our estimated overhead expenses, including payments under the administration agreement based on our allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by AIA in performing its obligations under the administration agreement. See “Management—Administration Agreement” in this base prospectus.

 

(9) “Total annual expenses” as a percentage of net assets attributable to common stock are higher than the total annual expenses percentage would be for a company that is not leveraged. We borrow money to leverage our net assets and increase our total assets. The SEC requires that the “Total annual expenses” percentage be calculated as a percentage of net assets (defined as total assets less indebtedness), rather than the total assets, including assets that have been funded with borrowed monies. If the “Total annual expenses” percentage were calculated instead as a percentage of total assets, our “Total annual expenses” would be 5.95% of total assets.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Before you invest in our shares, you should be aware of various risks, including those described below and those set forth under the caption “Recent Developments” in the accompanying prospectus supplement. You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this base prospectus and accompanying prospectus supplement, before you decide whether to make an investment in our securities. The risks set out below and in the accompanying prospectus supplement are not the only risks we face. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, our net asset value and the trading price of our common stock could decline or the value of our preferred stock, debt securities, units, subscription rights, purchase contracts or warrants may decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

CERTAIN RISKS IN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

Capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability. Such market conditions may materially and adversely affect debt and equity capital markets in the United States and abroad, which may have a negative impact on our business and operations.

From time to time, capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability. For example, between 2007 and 2009, the global capital markets experienced an extended period of disruption as evidenced by a lack of liquidity in the debt capital markets, write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk and the failure of certain major financial institutions. Despite actions of the United States, federal government and foreign governments, these events contributed to worsening general economic conditions that materially and adversely impacted the broader financial and credit markets and reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and financial services firms in particular. While market conditions have experienced relative stability in recent years, there have been continuing periods of volatility and there can be no assurance that adverse market conditions will not repeat themselves in the future. During such market disruptions, we may have difficulty raising debt or equity capital especially as a result of regulatory constraints.

Market conditions may in the future make it difficult to extend the maturity of or refinance our existing indebtedness, including the final maturity of our senior secured credit facility in April 2020, and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if required. As a result, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments.

Given the extreme volatility and dislocation that the capital markets have historically experienced, many BDCs have faced, and may in the future face, a challenging environment in which to raise capital. We may in the future have difficulty accessing debt and equity capital, and a severe disruption in the global financial markets or deterioration in credit and financing conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, significant changes in the capital markets, including the extreme volatility and disruption, have had, and may in the future have, a negative effect on the valuations of our investments and on the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. An inability to raise capital, and any required sale of our investments for liquidity purposes, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. AIM monitors developments and seeks to manage our investments in a manner consistent with achieving our investment objective, but there can be no assurance that it will be successful in doing so; and AIM may not timely anticipate or manage existing, new or additional risks, contingencies or developments, including regulatory developments in the current or future market environment.

Price declines and illiquidity in the corporate debt markets have adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect, the fair value of our portfolio investments, reducing our net asset value through increased net unrealized depreciation.

As a business development company, we are required to carry our investments at fair value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our board of

 

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directors. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments are recorded as unrealized depreciation, which reduces our net asset value. Depending on market conditions, we could incur substantial realized losses and may suffer additional unrealized losses in future periods, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Uncertainty about the financial stability of the United States and of several countries in the European Union (EU) and China could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Due to federal budget deficit concerns, S&P downgraded the federal government’s credit rating from AAA to AA+ for the first time in history on August 5, 2011. Further, Moody’s and Fitch had warned that they may downgrade the federal government’s credit rating. Further downgrades or warnings by S&P or other rating agencies, and the United States government’s credit and deficit concerns in general, could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact both the perception of credit risk associated with our debt portfolio and our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms. In addition, a decreased U.S. government credit rating could create broader financial turmoil and uncertainty, which may weigh heavily on our financial performance and the value of our common stock.

In 2010, a financial crisis emerged in Europe, triggered by high budget deficits and rising direct and contingent sovereign debt in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, which created concerns about the ability of these nations to continue to service their sovereign debt obligations. While the financial stability of such countries has improved significantly, risks resulting from any future debt crisis in Europe or any similar crisis could have a detrimental impact on the global economic recovery, sovereign and non-sovereign debt in these countries and the financial condition of European financial institutions. Market and economic disruptions have affected, and may in the future affect, consumer confidence levels and spending, personal bankruptcy rates, levels of incurrence and default on consumer debt and home prices, among other factors. We cannot assure you that market disruptions in Europe, including the increased cost of funding for certain governments and financial institutions, will not impact the global economy, and we cannot assure you that assistance packages will be available, or if available, be sufficient to stabilize countries and markets in Europe or elsewhere affected by a financial crisis. To the extent uncertainty regarding any economic recovery in Europe negatively impacts consumer confidence and consumer credit factors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

In the second quarter of 2015, stock prices in China experienced a significant drop, resulting primarily from continued sell-off of shares trading in Chinese markets. In August 2015, Chinese authorities sharply devalued China’s currency. These market and economic disruptions affected, and may in the future affect, the U.S. capital markets, which could adversely affect our business.

In October 2014, the Federal Reserve announced that it was concluding its bond-buying program, or quantitative easing, which was designed to stimulate the economy and expand the Federal Reserve’s holdings of long-term securities, suggesting that key economic indicators, such as the unemployment rate, had showed signs of improvement since the inception of the program. It is unclear what effect, if any, the conclusion of the Federal Reserve’s bond-buying program will have on the value of our investments. However, it is possible that, without quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, these developments, along with the United States government’s credit and deficit concerns and the European sovereign debt crisis, could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms. Additionally, in January 2015, the Federal Reserve reaffirmed its view that the current target range for the federal funds rate was appropriate based on current economic conditions. However, if key economic indicators, such as the unemployment rate or inflation, do not progress at a rate consistent with the Federal Reserve’s objectives, the target range for the federal funds rate may increase and cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms.

 

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Rising interest rates may adversely affect the value of our portfolio investments which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our debt investments may be based on floating rates, such as London Interbank Offer Rate (“LIBOR”), EURIBOR, the Federal Funds Rate or the Prime Rate. General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial negative impact on our investments, the value of our common stock and our rate of return on invested capital. A reduction in the interest rates on new investments relative to interest rates on current investments could also have an adverse impact on our net interest income. An increase in interest rates could decrease the value of any investments we hold which earn fixed interest rates, including subordinated loans, senior and junior secured and unsecured debt securities and loans and high yield bonds, and also could increase our interest expense, thereby decreasing our net income. Also, an increase in interest rates available to investors could make investment in our common stock less attractive if we are not able to increase our dividend rate, which could reduce the value of our common stock.

Because we have borrowed money, and may issue preferred stock to finance investments, our net investment income depends, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds or pay distributions on preferred stock and the rate that our investments yield. As a result, we can offer no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income.

You should also be aware that a change in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to a change in the interest rate we receive on many of our debt investments. Accordingly, a change in the interest rate could make it easier for us to meet or exceed the performance threshold and may result in a substantial increase in the amount of incentive fees payable to our investment adviser with respect to the portion of the incentive fee based on income.

Risks Associated with Recent Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Actions

AIM has claimed relief available under a no-action letter (“Letter 12-40”) issued by the staff of the CFTC. Letter 12-40 relieves AIM from registering with the CFTC as the commodity pool operator (“CPO”) of AIC, provided that AIC (i) continues to be regulated by the SEC as a business development company, (ii) allocates no more than a designated percentage of its liquidation value to futures contracts, certain swap contracts and certain other derivative instruments that are within the jurisdiction of the Commodity Exchange Act (collectively, “CEA-regulated products”), and (iii) is not marketed to the public as a commodity pool or as a vehicle for trading in CEA-regulated products. If AIC can no longer satisfy the conditions of Letter 12-40, AIM could be subject to the CFTC’s CPO registration requirements, and the disclosure and operations of AIC would need to comply with all applicable regulations governing commodity pools and CPOs. If AIM were required to register as a CPO, it would also be required to become a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”) and be subject to the NFA’s rules and bylaws. Compliance with these additional registration and regulatory requirements may increase AIM’s operating expenses, which, in turn, could result in AIC’s investors being charged additional fees.

The continued uncertainty related to the sustainability and pace of economic recovery in the U.S. and globally could have a negative impact on our business.

Our business is directly influenced by the economic cycle, and could be negatively impacted by a downturn in economic activity in the US as well as globally. Fiscal and monetary actions taken by U.S. and non-U.S. government and regulatory authorities could have a material adverse impact on our business. To the extent uncertainty regarding the U.S. or global economy negatively impacts consumer confidence and consumer credit factors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Moreover, Federal Reserve policy, including with respect to certain interest rates and the decision to end its quantitative easing policy, may also adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend- and interest-paying securities. Market volatility, rising interest rates and/or a return to unfavorable economic conditions could adversely affect our business.

 

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RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS AND STRUCTURE

We may suffer credit losses.

Investment in small and middle-market companies is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk of credit loss. These risks are likely to increase during volatile economic periods, as the U.S. and many other economies have experienced. See “Risks Related to Our Investments.”

We are dependent upon Apollo Investment Management’s key personnel for our future success and upon their access to AGM’s investment professionals and partners.

We depend on the diligence, skill and network of business contacts of the senior management of AIM specifically and AGM generally. Members of our senior management may depart at any time. We also depend, to a significant extent, on AIM’s access to the investment professionals and partners of AGM and the information and deal flow generated by the AGM investment professionals in the course of their investment and portfolio management activities. The senior management of AIM evaluates, negotiates, structures, closes and monitors our investments. Our future success depends on the continued service of senior members of AGM’s credit platform, including the senior management team of AIM. The departure of our senior management, any senior managers of AIM, or of a significant number of the investment professionals or partners of AGM, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objective. In addition, we can offer no assurance that AIM will remain our investment adviser or that we will continue to have access to AGM’s partners and investment professionals or its information and deal flow.

Our financial condition and results of operations depend on our ability to manage future growth effectively.

Our ability to achieve our investment objective depends, in part, on our ability to grow, which depends, in turn, on AIM’s ability to identify, invest in and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria. Accomplishing this result on a cost-effective basis is largely a function of AIM’s structuring of the investment process, its ability to provide competent, attentive and efficient services to us and our access to financing on acceptable terms. The senior management team of AIM has substantial responsibilities under the investment advisory and management agreement, and with respect to certain members, in connection with their roles as officers of other AGM funds.

They may also be called upon to provide managerial assistance to our portfolio companies. These demands on their time may distract them or slow the rate of investment. In order to grow, we and AIM need to hire, train, supervise and manage new employees. Any failure to manage our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.

A number of entities compete with us to make the types of investments that we make. We compete with public and private funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial financing companies, other BDCs and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity funds. Competition for investment opportunities intensifies from time to time and may intensify further in the future. Some of our existing and potential competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more relationships than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions and valuation requirements that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC and that the Code imposes on us as a RIC. We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, as a result of this existing and potentially increasing

 

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competition, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time, and we can offer no assurance that we will be able to identify and make investments that are consistent with our investment objective.

We do not seek to compete primarily based on the interest rates we offer, and we believe that some of our competitors make loans with interest rates that are comparable to or lower than the rates we offer.

We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. If we match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure, we may experience decreased net interest income and increased risk of credit loss.

Any failure on our part to maintain our status as a BDC would reduce our operating flexibility.

If we do not remain a BDC, we might be regulated as a closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions under the 1940 Act and correspondingly decrease our operating flexibility.

We will be subject to corporate-level income tax if we are unable to maintain our status as a RIC.

To maintain our RIC status under the Code, we must meet certain source-of-income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. The annual distribution requirement for a RIC generally is satisfied if we distribute at least 90% of our “investment company taxable income” (generally, our ordinary income and the excess, if any, of our net short-term capital gains over our net long-term capital losses), if any, to our stockholders on an annual basis. To the extent we use debt financing, we are subject to certain asset coverage ratio requirements and other financial covenants under loan and credit agreements, and could in some circumstances also become subject to such requirements under the 1940 Act, that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to maintain our status as a RIC. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to maintain our status as a RIC and, thus, may be subject to corporate-level income tax. To maintain our status as a RIC, we must also meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each calendar quarter. Failure to meet these tests may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of RIC status. Because most of our investments are in private companies, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and may result in substantial losses. If we fail to maintain our status as a RIC for any reason and become subject to corporate-level income tax, the resulting corporate-level taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions. Such a failure would have a material adverse effect on us and our stockholders.

To maintain our status as a RIC in a subsequent year, we would be required to distribute to our stockholders our earnings and profits attributable to non-RIC years. In addition, if we failed to maintain our status as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, then we would be required to elect to recognize and pay tax on any net built-in gain (the excess of aggregate gain, including items of income, over aggregate loss that would have been realized if we had been liquidated) or, alternatively, be subject to taxation on such built-in gain recognized for a period of ten years, in order to qualify as a RIC in a subsequent year.

We may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as original issue discount, which may arise if, for example, we receive warrants in connection with the making of a loan or payment-in-kind interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and typically due at the end of the loan term or possibly in other circumstances. Such original issue discount is included in income before we receive any corresponding cash payments and could be significant

 

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relative to our overall investment activities. Loans structured with these features may represent a higher level of credit risk than loans the interest on which must be paid in cash at regular intervals. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts that we do not receive in cash.

The incentive fee payable by us that relates to our net investment income is computed and paid on income that may include some interest that has been accrued but not yet received in cash. If a portfolio company defaults on a loan, it is possible that accrued interest previously used in the calculation of the incentive fee will become uncollectible. Consequently, while we may make incentive fee payments on income accruals that we may not collect in the future and with respect to which we do not have a formal clawback right against our investment adviser per se, the amount of accrued income written off in any period will reduce the income in the period in which such write-off was taken and thereby reduce such period’s incentive fee payment. For the period between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2015, the portion of the incentive fee that is attributable to deferred interest, such as PIK income, will not be paid to AIM until the Company receives such deferred interest in cash. The accrual of incentive fees shall be reversed if such interest is reversed in connection with any write-off or similar treatment of the investment.

Since in certain cases we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty meeting the tax requirement to distribute at least 90% of our investment company taxable income to maintain our status as a RIC. Accordingly, we may have to sell some of our investments at times we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or reduce new investment originations in order to meet distribution and/or leverage requirements.

Regulations governing our operation as a BDC affect our ability to, and the way in which we raise, additional capital.

We may issue debt securities or preferred stock and/or borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the provisions of the 1940 Act, we are permitted, as a BDC, to issue senior securities only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after each issuance of senior securities. If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to maintain asset coverage above the 200% level. If that happens, the contractual arrangements governing these securities may require us to sell a portion of our investments and, depending on the nature of our leverage, repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous.

BDCs may issue and sell common stock at a price below net asset value per share only in limited circumstances, one of which is during the one-year period after stockholder approval. In the past, our stockholders have approved a plan so that during the subsequent 12 month period we could, in one or more public or private offerings of our common stock, sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below the then current net asset value per share, subject to certain conditions including parameters on the level of permissible dilution, approval of the sale by a majority of our independent directors and a requirement that the sale price be not less than approximately the market price of the shares of our common stock at specified times, less the expenses of the sale. We may in the future seek to renew such authority on terms and conditions set forth in the corresponding proxy statement. There is no assurance such approvals will be obtained.

In the event we sell, or otherwise issue, shares of our common stock at a price below net asset value per share, existing stockholders will experience net asset value dilution and the investors who acquire shares in such offering may thereafter experience the same type of dilution from subsequent offerings at a discount. For example, if we sell an additional 10% of our common shares at a 5% discount from net asset value, a stockholder who does not participate in that offering for its proportionate interest will suffer net asset value dilution of up to 0.5% or $5 per $1000 of net asset value.

In addition to issuing securities to raise capital as described above, we may in the future securitize our loans to generate cash for funding new investments. To securitize loans, we may create a wholly-owned

 

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subsidiary, contribute a pool of loans to the subsidiary and have the subsidiary issue primarily investment grade debt securities to purchasers who we would expect would be willing to accept a substantially lower interest rate than the loans earn. We would retain all or a portion of the equity in the securitized pool of loans. Our retained equity would be exposed to any losses on the portfolio of loans before any of the debt securities would be exposed to such losses. An inability to successfully securitize our loan portfolio could limit our ability to grow our business and fully execute our business strategy and adversely affect our earnings, if any. Moreover, the successful securitization of our loan portfolio might expose us to losses as the residual loans in which we do not sell interests will tend to be those that are riskier and more apt to generate losses.

We currently use borrowed funds to make investments and are exposed to the typical risks associated with leverage.

We are exposed to increased risk of loss due to our use of debt to make investments. A decrease in the value of our investments will have a greater negative impact on the value of our common stock than if we did not use debt. Our ability to make distributions will be restricted if we fail to satisfy certain of our asset coverage ratios and other financial covenants and any amounts that we use to service our indebtedness are not available for distributions to our common stockholders.

The agreements governing certain of our debt instruments require us to comply with certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants require us to, among other things, maintain certain financial ratios, including asset coverage and minimum stockholders’ equity. As of March 31, 2015, we were in compliance with these covenants. However, our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control. In the event of deterioration in the capital markets and pricing levels subsequent to this period, net unrealized loss in our portfolio may increase in the future. Absent an amendment to our Senior Secured Facility (as defined below), continued unrealized loss in our investment portfolio could result in non-compliance with certain covenants.

Accordingly, there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with these covenants. Failure to comply with these covenants would result in a default which, if we were unable to obtain a waiver from the debt holders, could accelerate repayment under the instruments and thereby have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions.

Our current and future debt securities are and may be governed by an indenture or other instrument containing covenants restricting our operating flexibility. We, and indirectly our stockholders, bear the cost of issuing and servicing such securities. Our currently outstanding convertible securities have, and any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock.

We fund a portion of our investments with borrowed money, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and may increase the risk of investing in us.

Borrowings and other types of financing, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and, therefore, increase the risks associated with investing in our securities. Our lenders and debt holders have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our common stockholders or any preferred stockholders. If the value of our assets increases, then leveraging would cause the net asset value to increase more sharply than it would have had we not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged. Similarly, any increase in our income in excess of consolidated interest payable on the borrowed funds would cause our net income to increase more than it would without the leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make distributions to our common stockholders. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique.

 

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We may in the future determine to fund a portion of our investments with preferred stock, which would magnify the potential for gain or loss and the risks of investing in us in the same way as our borrowings.

Preferred stock, which is another form of leverage, has the same risks to our common stockholders as borrowings because the dividends on any preferred stock we issue must be cumulative. Payment of such dividends and repayment of the liquidation preference of such preferred stock must take preference over any dividends or other payments to our common stockholders, and preferred stockholders are not subject to any of our expenses or losses and are not entitled to participate in any income or appreciation in excess of their stated preference.

Changes in interest rates may affect our cost of capital and net investment income.

Because we borrow money, and may issue preferred stock to finance investments, our net investment income will depend, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds or pay dividends on preferred stock and the rate at which we invest these funds. As a result, we can offer no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds would increase except to the extent we have issued fixed rate debt or preferred stock, which could reduce our net investment income. Our long-term fixed-rate investments are financed primarily with equity and long-term debt. We may use interest rate risk management techniques in an effort to limit our exposure to interest rate fluctuations. Such techniques may include various interest rate hedging activities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and applicable commodities laws. Interest rate hedging activities do not protect against credit risk. We have analyzed the potential impact of changes in interest rates on interest income net of interest expense. Assuming no changes to our balance sheet as of March 31, 2015, a hypothetical one percent increase in London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) on our floating rate assets and liabilities would decrease our earnings by approximately less than 1 cent per average share over the next twelve months. Assuming no changes to our balance sheet as of March 31, 2015, a hypothetical two percent increase in LIBOR on our floating rate assets and liabilities would increase our earnings by two cents per average share over the next twelve months. Assuming no changes to our balance sheet as of March 31, 2015, a hypothetical three percent increase in LIBOR on our floating rate assets and liabilities would increase our earnings by approximately six cents per average share over the next twelve months. Assuming no changes to our balance sheet as of March 31, 2015, a hypothetical four percent increase in LIBOR on our floating rate assets and liabilities would increase our earnings by approximately nine cents per average share over the next twelve months. In addition, we believe that our interest rate matching strategy and our ability to hedge mitigates the effects any changes in interest rates may have on our investment income. Although management believes that this is indicative of our sensitivity to interest rate changes, it does not adjust for potential changes in credit quality, size and composition of the assets on the balance sheet and other business developments that could affect net increase or decrease in net assets resulting from operations, or net income. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that actual results would not differ materially from the potential outcome simulated by this estimate. For more information, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk.”

A portion of our floating rate investments may include features such as LIBOR floors. To the extent we invest in credit instruments with LIBOR floors, we may lose some of the benefits of incurring leverage. Specifically, if we issue preferred stock or debt (or otherwise borrow money), our costs of leverage will increase as rates increase. However, we may not benefit from the higher coupon payments resulting from increased interest rates if our investments in LIBOR floors and rates do not rise to levels above the LIBOR floors. In this situation, we will experience increased financing costs without the benefit of receiving higher income. This in turn may result in the potential for a decrease in the level of income available for dividends or distributions made by us.

You should also be aware that a change in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to a change in the interest rates we receive on many of our debt investments. Accordingly, a change in interest rates

 

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could make it easier for us to meet or exceed the performance threshold and may result in a substantial increase in the amount of incentive fees payable to our investment adviser with respect to pre-incentive fee net investment income.

Our business requires a substantial amount of capital to grow because we must distribute most of our income.

Our business requires a substantial amount of capital. We have issued equity securities and have borrowed from financial institutions. A reduction in the availability of new capital could limit our ability to grow. We must distribute at least 90% of our investment company taxable income to maintain our regulated investment company status. As a result, any such cash earnings may not be available to fund investment originations. We expect to continue to borrow from financial institutions and issue additional debt and equity securities. If we fail to obtain funds from such sources or from other sources to fund our investments, it could limit our ability to grow, which may have an adverse effect on the value of our securities. In addition, as a BDC, our ability to borrow or issue additional preferred stock may be restricted if our total assets are less than 200% of our total borrowings and preferred stock.

Many of our portfolio investments are recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our board of directors and, as a result, there is uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.

A large percentage of our portfolio investments are not publicly traded. The fair value of these investments may not be readily determinable. We value these investments quarterly at fair value (based on ASC 820, its corresponding guidance and the principal markets in which these investments trade) as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our board of directors pursuant to a written valuation policy and a consistently applied valuation process utilizing the input of our investment adviser, independent valuation firms, third party pricing services and the audit committee. Our board of directors utilizes the services of independent valuation firms to aid it in determining the fair value of these investments. The types of factors that may be considered in fair value pricing of these investments include the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison to more liquid securities, indices and other market-related inputs, discounted cash flow, our principal market and other relevant factors. For these securities for which a quote is either not readily available or deemed not to represent fair value, we utilize independent valuation firms to assist with valuation of such investments. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a readily available market for these investments existed and may differ materially from the amounts we realize on any disposition of such investments. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of these investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon the disposal of such investments.

In addition, decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments are recorded as unrealized loss. Unprecedented declines in prices and liquidity in the corporate debt markets have resulted in significant net unrealized loss in our portfolio in the past. The effect of all of these factors on our portfolio has reduced our NAV by increasing net unrealized loss in our portfolio. Depending on market conditions, we could incur substantial realized losses and may continue to suffer additional unrealized losses in future periods, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our business.

We generally make investments in private companies. Substantially all of these securities are subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or are otherwise less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need arises. In addition, if we are

 

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required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our investments. In addition, we may face other restrictions on our ability to liquidate an investment in a portfolio company to the extent that we or an affiliated manager of AGM has material non-public information regarding such portfolio company.

We may experience fluctuations in our periodic results.

We could experience fluctuations in our periodic operating results due to a number of factors, including the interest rates payable on the debt securities we acquire, the default rate on such securities, the level of our expenses (including the interest rates payable on our borrowings), the dividend rates on preferred stock we issue, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted.

We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from knowingly participating in certain transactions with certain of our affiliates without the prior approval of our independent directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities will be our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act and we are generally prohibited from buying or selling any security (other than our securities) from or to such affiliate, absent the prior approval of our independent directors. The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of our independent directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. We are prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any person who owns more than 25% of our voting securities or certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons, absent the prior approval of the SEC through an exemptive order (other than in certain limited situations pursuant to current regulatory guidance). The analysis of whether a particular transaction constitutes a joint transaction requires a review of the relevant facts and circumstances then existing. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their affiliates.

We have applied for an exemptive order from the SEC that would permit us and certain of our affiliates, including investment funds managed by our affiliates, to co-invest. Any such order will be subject to certain terms and conditions and there can be no assurance that such order will be granted by the SEC. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we or our affiliates, including investment funds managed by our affiliates, will be permitted to co-invest, other than in the limited circumstances currently permitted by regulatory guidance or in the absence of a joint transaction.

There are significant potential conflicts of interest which could adversely affect our investment returns.

Allocation of Personnel

Potential investment and disposition opportunities are generally approved by one or more committees composed of personnel across AGM, including Mr. Zelter and Mr. Goldthorpe, and/or Mr. Zelter or Mr. Goldthorpe depending on the underlying investment type and/or the amount of such investment. Our executive officers and directors, and the partners of our investment adviser, AIM, serve or may serve as officers, directors or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do or of investment funds managed by our affiliates. Accordingly, they may have obligations to investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which might not be in the best interests of us or our stockholders. Moreover, we note that, notwithstanding the difference in principal investment objectives between us and other AGM funds, such other AGM sponsored funds, including new affiliated potential pooled investment vehicles or managed accounts not yet established (whether managed or sponsored by AGM or AIM itself), have and may from time to time have overlapping investment objectives with us and, accordingly, invest in, whether principally or secondarily, asset classes similar

 

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to those targeted by us. To the extent such other investment vehicles have overlapping investment objectives, the scope of opportunities otherwise available to us may be adversely affected and/or reduced. As a result, certain partners of AIM may face conflicts in their time management and commitments as well as in the allocation of investment opportunities to other AGM funds. In addition, in the event such investment opportunities are allocated among us and other investment vehicles managed or sponsored by, or affiliated with, AIM our desired investment portfolio may be adversely affected. Although AIM endeavors to allocate investment opportunities in a fair and equitable manner, it is possible that we may not be given the opportunity to participate in certain investments made by investment funds managed by AIM or investment managers affiliated with AIM.

No Information Barriers

There are no information barriers amongst AGM and certain of its affiliates. If AIM were to receive material non-public information about a particular company, or have an interest in investing in a particular company, AGM or certain of its affiliates may be prevented from investing in such company. Conversely, if AGM or certain of its affiliates were to receive material non-public information about a particular company, or have an interest in investing in a particular company, we may be prevented from investing in such company.

This risk may affect us more than it does other investment vehicles, as AIM generally does not use information barriers that many firms implement to separate persons who make investment decisions from others who might possess material, non-public information that could influence such decisions. AIM’s decision not to implement these barriers could prevent its investment professionals from undertaking certain transactions such as advantageous investments or dispositions that would be permissible for them otherwise. In addition, AIM could in the future decide to establish information barriers, particularly as its business expands and diversifies.

Co-Investment Activity and Allocation of Investment Opportunities

AGM and its affiliated investment managers, including AIM, may determine that an investment is appropriate both for us and for one or more other funds. In such event, depending on the availability of such investment and other appropriate factors, AIM may determine that we should invest on a side-by-side basis with one or more other funds. We may make all such investments subject to compliance with applicable regulations and interpretations, and our allocation procedures. In certain circumstances negotiated co-investments may be made only if we receive an order from the SEC permitting us to do so. There can be no assurance that any such order will be obtained.

AGM has adopted allocation procedures that are intended to ensure that each fund or account managed by AGM or certain of its affiliates (“Apollo-advised funds”) is treated in a manner that, over time, is fair and equitable. Allocations generally are made pro rata based on order size. In certain circumstances, the allocation policy provides for the allocation of investments pursuant to a predefined arrangement that is other than pro rata. As a result, in situations where a security is appropriate for us but is limited in availability, we may receive a lower allocation than may be desired by our portfolio managers or no allocation if it is determined that the investment is more appropriate for a different Apollo-advised fund because of its investment mandate. Investment opportunities may be allocated on a basis other than pro rata to the extent it is done in good faith and does not, or is not reasonably expected to, result in an improper disadvantage or advantage to one participating Apollo-advised fund as compared to another participating Apollo-advised fund.

In the event investment opportunities are allocated among us and other Apollo-advised funds, we may not be able to structure our investment portfolio in the manner desired. Although AGM endeavors to allocate investment opportunities in a fair and equitable manner, it is possible that we may not be given the opportunity to participate in certain investments made by other Apollo-advised funds or portfolio managers affiliated with AIM. Furthermore, we and the other Apollo-advised funds may make investments in securities where the prevailing trading activity may make impossible the receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold by us and such other Apollo-advised funds. When this occurs, the various prices may be

 

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averaged, and we will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation may operate on some occasions to our disadvantage. In addition, under certain circumstances, we may not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with a bunched or aggregated order.

It is possible that other Apollo-advised funds may make investments in the same or similar securities at different times and on different terms than we do. From time to time, we and the other Apollo-advised funds may make investments at different levels of an issuer’s capital structure or otherwise in different classes of an issuer’s securities. Such investments may inherently give rise to conflicts of interest or perceived conflicts of interest between or among the various classes of securities that may be held by such entities. Conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding us may benefit such other Apollo-advised funds. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position by us may impair the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) one or more Apollo-advised funds, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security by us may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) one or more Apollo-advised funds. In these circumstances AIM and its affiliates will seek to resolve each conflict in a manner that is fair to the various clients involved in light of the totality of the circumstances. In some cases the resolution may not be in our best interests.

AGM and its clients may pursue or enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which we have invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on us. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of our investments may be negatively impacted by the activities of AGM or its clients, and transactions for us may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.

Fees and Expenses

In the course of our investing activities, we pay management and incentive fees to AIM, and reimburse AIM for certain expenses it incurs. As a result, investors in our common stock invest on a “gross” basis and receive distributions on a “net” basis after expenses, resulting in, among other things, a lower rate of return than one might achieve through direct investments. As a result of this arrangement, there may be times when the management team of AIM has interests that differ from those of our common stockholders, giving rise to a conflict.

AIM receives a quarterly incentive fee based, in part, on our pre-incentive fee income, if any, for the immediately preceding calendar quarter. This incentive fee will not be payable to AIM unless the pre-incentive net investment income exceeds the performance threshold. To the extent we or AIM are able to exert influence over our portfolio companies, the quarterly pre-incentive fee may provide AIM with an incentive to induce our portfolio companies to prepay interest or other obligations in certain circumstances.

Allocation of Expenses

We have entered into a royalty-free license agreement with AGM, pursuant to which AGM has agreed to grant us a non-exclusive license to use the name “Apollo.” Under the license agreement, we have the right to use the “Apollo” name for so long as AIM or one of its affiliates remains our investment adviser. In addition, we rent office space from AIA, an affiliate of AIM, and pay AIA our allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by AIA in performing its obligations under the administration agreement, including our allocable portion of the cost of our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer and their respective staffs, which can create conflicts of interest that our board of directors must monitor.

In the past following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has, from time to time, been brought against that company.

If our stock price fluctuates significantly, we may be the target of securities litigation in the future. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business.

 

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To the extent OID and PIK interest constitute a portion of our income, we will be exposed to typical risks associated with such income being required to be included in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash representing such income.

Our investments may include original issue discount, or OID, instruments and payment in kind, or PIK, interest arrangements, which represents contractual interest added to a loan balance and due at the end of such loan’s term. To the extent OID or PIK interest constitute a portion of our income, we are exposed to typical risks associated with such income being required to be included in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash, including the following:

 

   

The higher interest rates of OID and PIK instruments reflect the payment deferral and increased credit risk associated with these instruments, and OID and PIK instruments generally represent a significantly higher credit risk than coupon loans.

 

   

Even if the accounting conditions for income accrual are met, the borrower could still default when our actual collection is supposed to occur at the maturity of the obligation.

 

   

OID and PIK instruments may have unreliable valuations because their continuing accruals require continuing judgments about the collectability of the deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral. OID and PIK income may also create uncertainty about the source of our cash distributions.

 

   

For accounting purposes, any cash distributions to shareholders representing OID and PIK income are not treated as coming from paid-in capital, even if the cash to pay them comes from offering proceeds. As a result, despite the fact that a distribution representing OID and PIK income could be paid out of amounts invested by our stockholders, the 1940 Act does not require that stockholders be given notice of this fact by reporting it as a return of capital.

Changes in the laws or regulations governing our business or the businesses of our portfolio companies and any failure by us or our portfolio companies to comply with these laws or regulations, could negatively affect the profitability of our operations or of our portfolio companies.

We are subject to changing rules and regulations of federal and state governments, as well as the stock exchange on which our common stock is listed. These entities, including the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the SEC and The NASDAQ Global Select Market, have issued a significant number of new and increasingly complex requirements and regulations over the course of the last several years and continue to develop additional regulations. In particular, changes in the laws or regulations or the interpretations of the laws and regulations that govern BDCs, RICs or non-depository commercial lenders could significantly affect our operations and our cost of doing business. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations and are subject to judicial and administrative decisions that affect our operations, including our loan originations, maximum interest rates, fees and other charges, disclosures to portfolio companies, the terms of secured transactions, collection and foreclosure procedures and other trade practices. If these laws, regulations or decisions change, or if we expand our business into jurisdictions that have adopted more stringent requirements than those in which we currently conduct business, we may have to incur significant expenses in order to comply, or we might have to restrict our operations. In addition, if we do not comply with applicable laws, regulations and decisions, we may lose licenses needed for the conduct of our business and be subject to civil fines and criminal penalties, any of which could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law and of our charter and bylaws could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.

The Maryland General Corporation Law, our charter and our bylaws contain provisions that may discourage, delay or make more difficult a change in control of us or the removal of our directors. We are subject to the Maryland Business Combination Act, subject to any applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. Our board of directors has adopted a resolution exempting from the Business Combination Act any business combination between us and any other person, subject to prior approval of such business combination by our board of directors, including approval by a majority of our disinterested directors. If the resolution exempting business combinations is repealed or our board of directors does not approve a business combination, the Business Combination Act may discourage third parties from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such an offer. Our bylaws exempt from the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act acquisitions of our common stock by any person. If we amend our bylaws to repeal the exemption from the Control Share Acquisition Act, the Control Share Acquisition Act also may make it more difficult for a third party to obtain control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such an offer. We intend to give the SEC prior notice should our board of directors elect to amend our bylaws to repeal the exemption from the Control Share Acquisition Act.

We have also adopted other measures that may make it difficult for a third party to obtain control of us, including provisions of our charter classifying our board of directors in three classes serving staggered three-year terms, and provisions of our charter authorizing our board of directors to classify or reclassify shares of our stock in one or more classes or series, to cause the issuance of additional shares of our stock, and to amend our charter, without stockholder approval, to increase or decrease the number of shares of stock that we have authority to issue. These provisions, as well as other provisions of our charter and bylaws, may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.

We may choose to pay dividends in our own common stock, in which case you may be required to pay federal income taxes in excess of the cash dividends you receive.

We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in cash and shares of our common stock at the election of each stockholder. The Internal Revenue Service has issued private letter rulings on cash/stock dividends paid by RICs and real estate investment trusts where the cash component is limited to 20% of the total distribution if certain requirements are satisfied. Stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend (including the portion payable in stock) as ordinary income (or, in certain circumstances, long-term capital gain) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for federal income tax purposes. As a result, stockholders may be required to pay income taxes with respect to such dividends in excess of the cash dividends received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the common stock that it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our common stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in common stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our common stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock. It is unclear whether and to what extent we will be able to pay taxable dividends in cash and common stock (whether pursuant to a private letter ruling or otherwise).

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, stockholders could lose confidence in our financial and other public reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our common stock.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure

 

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to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. In addition, any testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm (when undertaken, as noted below), may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our consolidated financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors and lenders to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.

We may experience cyber-security incidents and are subject to cyber-security risks.

Our business operations rely upon secure information technology systems for data processing, storage and reporting. Despite careful security and controls design, implementation and updating, our information technology systems could become subject to cyber-attacks. Cyberattacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyberattacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Network, system, application and data breaches could result in operational disruptions or information misappropriation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Cyber security failures or breaches by our investment adviser and other service providers (including, but not limited to, accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), and the issuers of securities in which we invest, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with our ability to calculate its net asset value, impediments to trading, the inability of our stockholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While we have established a business continuity plan in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyberattacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, we cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by our service providers and issuers in which we invest. We and our stockholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

The failure in cyber-security systems, as well as the occurrence of events unanticipated in our disaster recovery systems and management continuity planning could impair our ability to conduct business effectively.

The occurrence of a disaster such as a cyber-attack, a natural catastrophe, an industrial accident, a terrorist attack or war, events unanticipated in our disaster recovery systems, or a support failure from external providers, could have an adverse effect on our ability to conduct business and on our results of operations and financial condition, particularly if those events affect our computer-based data processing, transmission, storage, and retrieval systems or destroy data. If a significant number of our managers were unavailable in the event of a disaster, our ability to effectively conduct our business could be severely compromised.

We depend heavily upon computer systems to perform necessary business functions. Despite our implementation of a variety of security measures, our computer systems could be subject to cyber-attacks and unauthorized access, such as physical and electronic break-ins or unauthorized tampering. Like other companies, we may experience threats to our data and systems, including malware and computer virus attacks, unauthorized access, system failures and disruptions. If one or more of these events occurs, it could potentially jeopardize the confidential, proprietary and other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations, which could result in damage to our reputation, financial losses, litigation, increased costs and/or regulatory penalties.

 

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We are dependent on information systems and systems failures could significantly disrupt our business, which may, in turn, negatively affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to pay dividends.

Our business is dependent on our and third parties’ communications and information systems. Any failure or interruption of those systems, including as a result of the termination of an agreement with any third-party service providers, could cause delays or other problems in our activities. Our financial, accounting, data processing, backup or other operating systems and facilities may fail to operate properly or become disabled or damaged as a result of a number of factors including events that are wholly or partially beyond our control and adversely affect our business. There could be:

 

   

sudden electrical or telecommunications outages;

 

   

natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes;

 

   

disease pandemics;

 

   

events arising from local or larger scale political or social matters, including terrorist acts; and

 

   

cyber-attacks.

These events, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and negatively affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.

The effect of global climate change may impact the operations of our portfolio companies.

There is evidence of global climate change. Climate change creates physical and financial risk and some of our portfolio companies may be adversely affected by climate change. For example, the needs of customers of energy companies vary with weather conditions, primarily temperature and humidity. To the extent weather conditions are affected by climate change, energy use could increase or decrease depending on the duration and magnitude of any changes. Increased energy use due to weather changes may require additional investments by our portfolio companies engaged in the energy business in more pipelines and other infrastructure to serve increased demand. Increases in the cost of energy also could adversely affect the cost of operations of our portfolio companies if the use of energy products or services is material to their business. A decrease in energy use due to weather changes may affect some of our portfolio companies’ financial condition, through decreased revenues. Extreme weather conditions in general require more system backup, adding to costs, and can contribute to increased system stresses, including service interruptions. Energy companies could also be affected by the potential for lawsuits against or taxes or other regulatory costs imposed on greenhouse gas emitters, based on links drawn between greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

Our investment adviser and administrator have the right to resign on 60 days’ notice, and we may not be able to find a suitable replacement within that time, resulting in a disruption in our operations that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our investment adviser and administrator have the right, under our investment management agreement and administration agreement, respectively, to resign at any time upon not less than 60 days’ written notice, whether we have found a replacement or not. If our investment adviser or our administrator resigns, we may not be able to find a replacement or hire internal management or administration with similar expertise and ability to provide the same or equivalent services on acceptable terms within 60 days, or at all. If we are unable to do so quickly, our operations are likely to experience a disruption, our business, financial condition and results of operations as well as our ability to pay distributions are likely to be adversely affected and the market price of our shares may decline. In addition, the coordination of our internal management and investment activities or our internal administration activities, as applicable, is likely to suffer if we are unable to identify and reach an

 

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agreement with a single institution or group of executives having the expertise possessed by our investment adviser and its affiliates or our administrator and its affiliates. Even if we are able to retain comparable management or administration, whether internal or external, the integration of such management or administration and their lack of familiarity with our investment objective may result in additional costs and time delays that may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR INVESTMENTS

Our investments in prospective portfolio companies are risky, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Investment in middle-market companies is speculative and involves a number of significant risks including a high degree of risk of credit loss. Middle-market companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their debt securities that we hold, which may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of us realizing any guarantees we may have obtained in connection with our investment. In addition, they typically have shorter operating histories, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and market conditions, as well as general economic downturns. Middle-market companies are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons; therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on our portfolio company and, in turn, on us. Middle-market companies also generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position. In addition, our executive officers, directors and our investment adviser may, in the ordinary course of business, be named as defendants in litigation arising from our investments in the portfolio companies.

We invest primarily in secured and unsecured debt of private middle-market companies. We also may invest in equity and structured products, such as CLOs and CLNs. We may not realize gains from our equity investments.

Secured loans, which we define to include first lien and second lien debt, are the most senior form of indebtedness of an issuer and, due to the ability of the lender to sell the collateral to repay its loan in the event of default, the lender will likely experience more favorable recovery than more junior creditors in the event of the issuer defaults on its indebtedness.

Unsecured debt or loans, also referred to as mezzanine loans or subordinated debt are generally unsecured and junior to other indebtedness of the issuer. As a consequence, the holder of a mezzanine loan may lack adequate protection in the event the issuer becomes distressed or insolvent and will likely experience a lower recovery than more senior debtholders in the event the issuer defaults on its indebtedness. In addition, mezzanine loans of middle-market companies are often highly illiquid and in adverse market conditions may experience steep declines in valuation even if they are fully performing.

We may invest in debt and equity positions of structured products, such as CLOs and CLNs. A CLO is a form of securitization in which the cash flows of a portfolio of loans are pooled and passed on to different classes of owners in various tranches. A CLN is a synthetic obligation between two or more parties where the payment of principal and/or interest is based on the performance of some reference obligation. Credit-linked notes are created by embedding a credit default swap in a funded asset to form an investment whose credit risk and cash flow characteristics resemble those of a bond or loan. These credit-linked notes pay an enhanced coupon to the investor for taking on the added credit risk of the reference issuer. In addition to the credit risk of the reference entity and interest rate risk, the buyer/seller of credit-linked notes is subject to counterparty risk.

 

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When we invest in unsecured and secured loans, we have acquired and may continue to acquire warrants or other equity securities as well. In addition, we may invest directly in the equity securities of portfolio companies. Our goal is ultimately to dispose of such equity interests and realize gains upon our disposition of such interests. However, the equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience.

Our investments in structured products may be riskier and less transparent to us and our stockholders than direct investments in the underlying companies.

We invest in structured products. Generally, there may be less information available to us regarding the underlying debt investments held by structured products than if we had invested directly in the debt of the underlying companies. As a result, our stockholders will not know the details of the underlying securities of the structured products in which we will invest. Our structured product investments will also be subject to the risk of leverage associated with the debt issued by such structured products and the repayment priority of senior debt holders in such structured products. Our investments in prospective portfolio companies may be risky, and we could lose all or part of our investment.

Structured products typically will have no significant assets other than their underlying loans; payments on structured product investments are and will be payable solely from the cashflows from such loans.

Structured products typically will have no significant assets other than their underlying loans. Accordingly, payments on structured product investments are and will be payable solely from the cashflows from such loans, net of all management fees and other expenses. Payments to us as a holder of structured product investments are and will be met only after payments due on the senior notes (and, where appropriate, the junior secured notes) from time to time have been made in full. This means that relatively small numbers of defaults of loans may adversely impact our returns.

Our structured product investments are exposed to leveraged credit risk.

We may be in a subordinated position with respect to realized losses on loans underlying our investments in structured products. The leveraged nature of structured products, in particular, magnifies the adverse impact of loan defaults. Structured product investments represent a leveraged investment with respect to the underlying loans. Therefore, changes in the market value of the structured product investments could be greater than the change in the market value of the underlying loans, which are subject to credit, liquidity and interest rate risk.

There is the potential for interruption and deferral of cashflow from CLO investments.

If certain minimum collateral value ratios and/or interest coverage ratios are not met by a CLO, primarily due to loan defaults, then cashflow that otherwise would have been available to pay distributions to us on our CLO investments may instead be used to redeem any senior notes or to purchase additional loans, until the ratios again exceed the minimum required levels or any senior notes are repaid in full. This could result in an elimination, reduction or deferral in the distribution and/or principal paid to the holders of the CLO investments, which would adversely impact our returns.

Investments in foreign securities may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.

Our CLO investment strategy involves investments in foreign CLOs. Investing in foreign entities may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These risks include changes in exchange control regulations, political and social instability, expropriation, imposition of foreign taxes, less liquid markets and less available information than is generally the case in the United States, higher transaction

 

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costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, less developed bankruptcy laws, difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility. Further, we, and the CLOs in which we invest, may have difficulty enforcing creditor’s rights in foreign jurisdictions. In addition, the underlying companies of the CLOs in which we invest may be foreign, which may create greater exposure for us to foreign economic developments.

The payment of underlying portfolio manager fees and other charges on CLO investments could adversely impact our returns.

We may invest in CLO investments where the underlying portfolio securities may be subject to management, administration and incentive or performance fees, in addition to those payable by us. Payment of such additional fees could adversely impact the returns we achieve.

The inability of a CLO collateral manager to reinvest the proceeds of the prepayment of loans may adversely affect us.

There can be no assurance that for any CLO investment, in the event that any of the loans of a CLO underlying such investment are prepaid, the CLO collateral manager will be able to reinvest such proceeds in new loans with equivalent investment returns. If the CLO collateral manager cannot reinvest in new loans with equivalent investment returns, the interest proceeds available to pay interest on the rated liabilities and investments may be adversely affected.

Our CLO investments are subject to prepayments and calls, increasing re-investment risk.

Our CLO investments and/or the underlying senior secured loans may be prepaid more quickly than expected, which could have an adverse impact on our value. Prepayment rates are influenced by changes in interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic and other factors beyond our control, and consequently cannot be predicted with certainty. In addition, for a CLO collateral manager there is often a strong incentive to refinance well performing portfolios once the senior tranches amortize. The yield to maturity of the investments will depend on the amount and timing of payments of principal on the loans and the price paid for the investments. Such yield may be adversely affected by a higher or lower than anticipated rate of prepayments of the debt.

Furthermore, our CLO investments generally do not contain optional call provisions, other than a call at the option of the holders of the equity tranches for the senior notes and the junior secured notes to be paid in full after the expiration of an initial period in the deal (referred to as the “non-call period”).

The exercise of the call option is by the relevant percentage (usually a majority) of the holders of the equity tranches and, therefore, where we do not hold the relevant percentage we will not be able to control the timing of the exercise of the call option. The equity tranches also generally have a call at any time based on certain tax event triggers. In any event, the call can only be exercised by the holders of equity tranches if they can demonstrate (in accordance with the detailed provisions in the transaction) that the senior notes and junior secured notes will be paid in full if the call is exercised.

Early prepayments and/or the exercise of a call option other than at our request may also give rise to increased re-investment risk with respect to certain investments, as we may realize excess cash earlier than expected. If we are unable to reinvest such cash in a new investment with an expected rate of return at least equal to that of the investment repaid, this may reduce our net income and, consequently, could have an adverse impact on our ability to pay dividends.

We have limited control of the administration and amendment of loans owned by the CLOs in which we invest.

We may not be able to directly enforce any rights and remedies in the event of a default of a loan held by a CLO vehicle. In addition, the terms and conditions of the Senior Secured Loans underlying our CLO investments may be amended, modified or waived only by the agreement of the underlying lenders. Generally,

 

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any such agreement must include a majority or a super majority (measured by outstanding loans or commitments) or, in certain circumstances, a unanimous vote of the lenders. Consequently, the terms and conditions of the payment obligations arising from loans could be modified, amended or waived in a manner contrary to our preferences.

We have limited control of the administration and amendment of any CLO in which we invest.

The terms and conditions of target securities may be amended, modified or waived only by the agreement of the underlying security holders. Generally, any such agreement must include a majority or a super majority (measured by outstanding amounts) or, in certain circumstances, a unanimous vote of the security holders. Consequently, the terms and conditions of the payment obligation arising from the CLOs in which we invest be modified, amended or waived in a manner contrary to our preferences.

Loans of CLOs may be sold and replaced resulting in a loss to us.

The loans underlying our CLO investments may be sold and replacement collateral purchased within the parameters set out in the relevant CLO indenture between the CLO and the CLO trustee and those parameters may typically only be amended, modified or waived by the agreement of a majority of the holders of the senior notes and/or the junior secured notes and/or the equity tranche once the CLO has been established. If these transactions result in a net loss, the magnitude of the loss from the perspective of the equity tranche would be increased by the leveraged nature of the investment.

Our financial results may be affected adversely if one or more of our significant equity or junior debt investments in a CLO vehicle defaults on its payment obligations or fails to perform as we expect.

We expect that a majority of our portfolio of CLO investments will consist of equity and junior debt investments in CLOs, which involve a number of significant risks. CLOs are typically highly levered up to approximately 10 times, and therefore the junior debt and equity tranches that we will invest in are subject to a higher risk of total loss than the senior debt portion. In particular, investors in CLOs indirectly bear risks of the underlying debt investments held by such CLOs. We will generally have the right to receive payments only from the CLOs, and will generally not have direct rights against the underlying borrowers or the entities that sponsored the CLOs. Although it is difficult to predict whether the prices of indices and securities underlying CLOs will rise or fall, these prices, and therefore, the prices of the CLOs, will be influenced by the same types of political and economic events that affect issuers of securities and capital markets generally.

The investments we make in CLOs are thinly traded or have only a limited trading market. CLO investments are typically privately offered and sold, in the primary and secondary markets. As a result, investments in CLOs may be characterized as illiquid securities. In addition to the general risks associated with investing in debt securities, CLOs carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from the underlying loans will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the underlying loans may decline in value or default; and (iii) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the CLO or unexpected investment results. Further, our investments in equity and junior debt tranches of CLOs are subordinate to the senior debt tranches thereof.

Investments in structured vehicles, including equity and junior debt instruments issued by CLOs, involve risks, including credit risk and market risk. Changes in interest rates and credit quality may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the underlying Senior Secured Loans held by a CLO may cause payments on the instruments we hold to be reduced, either temporarily or permanently. Structured investments, particularly the subordinated interests in which we invest, are less liquid than many other types of securities and may be more volatile than the Senior Secured Loans underlying the CLOs in which we invest.

 

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Non-investment grade debt involves a greater risk of default and higher price volatility than investment grade debt.

The loans underlying our CLO investments typically are rated non-investment grade and, in limited circumstances, are unrated. Non-investment grade securities are predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due and therefore involve a greater risk of default and higher price volatility than investment grade debt.

We will have no influence on management of underlying investments managed by non-affiliated third party CLO collateral managers.

We are not responsible for and have no influence over the asset management of the portfolios underlying the CLO investments we hold as those portfolios are managed by non-affiliated third party CLO collateral managers. Similarly, we are not responsible for and have no influence over the day-to-day management, administration or any other aspect of the issuers of the individual securities.

As a result, the values of the portfolios underlying our CLO investments could decrease as a result of decisions made by third party CLO collateral managers.

Our CLN investments are subject to counterparty risk, interest rate risk and credit risk.

Certain credit-linked notes also may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market. Credit-linked notes are typically privately offered and sold. Holders of credit-linked notes bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. Credit-linked notes are used to transfer credit risk. The performance of the notes is linked to the performance of some underlying reference obligation. The notes are usually issued by a special purpose vehicle (“SPV”) that sells credit protection through a credit default swap transaction in return for a premium and an obligation to pay the transaction sponsor should a reference entity experience a certain credit event or events, such as bankruptcy. The SPV invests the proceeds from the notes to cover its contingent payment obligation. Revenue from the investments and the money received as premium are used to pay interest to note holders. The main risk of credit-linked notes is the risk of the reference entity experiencing a credit event that triggers the contingent payment obligation. Should such an event occur, the SPV would have to pay the transaction sponsor and payments to the note holders would be subordinated.

Economic recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies and harm our operating results.

Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our loans during these periods. Therefore, our non-performing assets may increase and the value of our portfolio may decrease during these periods if we are required to write down the values of our investments. Adverse economic conditions also may decrease the value of collateral securing some of our loans and the value of our equity investments. Economic slowdowns or recessions could lead to financial losses in our portfolio and a decrease in revenues, net income and assets. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and harm our operating results.

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, acceleration of the time when the loans are due and foreclosure on its secured assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize the portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt that we hold. We may incur additional expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company.

 

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There may be circumstances where our debt investments could be subordinated to claims of other creditors or we could be subject to, among other things, lender liability or fraudulent conveyance claims.

We could, in certain circumstances, become subject to potential liabilities that may exceed the value of our original investment in a portfolio company that experiences severe financial difficulties. For example, we may be adversely affected by laws related to, among other things, fraudulent conveyances, voidable preferences, lender liability, and the bankruptcy court’s discretionary power to disallow, subordinate or disenfranchise particular claims or re-characterize investments made in the form of debt as equity contributions.

If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could fail to qualify as a BDC or be precluded from investing according to our current business strategy.

As a BDC, we may not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets. We believe that most of the investments that we may acquire in the future will constitute qualifying assets. However, we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments if such investments are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 1940 Act. If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could be found to be in violation of the 1940 Act provisions applicable to BDCs, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies (which could result in the dilution of our position) or could require us to dispose of investments at inappropriate times in order to come into compliance with the 1940 Act. Because most of our investments will be in private companies, and therefore will be relatively illiquid, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and could result in substantial losses.

Our portfolio contains a limited number of portfolio companies, which subjects us to a greater risk of significant loss if any of these companies defaults on its obligations under any of its debt securities.

A consequence of the limited number of investments in our portfolio is that the aggregate returns we realize may be significantly adversely affected if one or more of our significant portfolio company investments perform poorly or if we need to write down the value of any one significant investment. Beyond our income tax diversification requirements, we do not have fixed guidelines for diversification, and our portfolio could contain relatively few portfolio companies.

Our failure to make follow-on investments in our portfolio companies could impair the value of our portfolio.

Following an initial investment in a portfolio company, we may make additional investments in that portfolio company as “follow-on” investments, in order to: (1) increase or maintain in whole or in part our equity ownership percentage; (2) exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing or (3) attempt to preserve or enhance the value of our investment.

We may elect not to make follow-on investments, may be constrained in our ability to employ available funds, or otherwise may lack sufficient funds to make those investments. We have the discretion to make any follow-on investments, subject to the availability of capital resources. The failure to make follow-on investments may, in some circumstances, jeopardize the continued viability of a portfolio company and our initial investment, or may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation. Even if we have sufficient capital to make a desired follow-on investment, we may elect not to make a follow-on investment because we may not want to increase our concentration of risk, because we prefer other opportunities, or because we are inhibited by compliance with BDC requirements or the desire to maintain our tax status.

 

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When we do not hold controlling equity interests in our portfolio companies, we may not be in a position to exercise control over our portfolio companies or to prevent decisions by management of our portfolio companies that could decrease the value of our investments.

We do not generally take controlling equity positions in our portfolio companies. To the extent that we do not hold a controlling equity interest in a portfolio company, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree, and the stockholders and management of a portfolio company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that are adverse to our interests. Due to the lack of liquidity for the debt and equity investments that we typically hold in our portfolio companies, we may not be able to dispose of our investments in the event we disagree with the actions of a portfolio company, and may therefore suffer a decrease in the value of our investments.

An investment strategy focused primarily on privately-held companies presents certain challenges, including the lack of available information about these companies, a dependence on the talents and efforts of only a few key portfolio company personnel and a greater vulnerability to economic downturns.

We have invested and will continue to invest primarily in privately-held companies. Generally, little public information exists about these companies, and we are required to rely on the ability of AIM’s investment professionals to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies.

If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investments. Also, privately-held companies frequently have less diverse product lines and smaller market presence than public company competitors, which often are larger. These factors could affect our investment returns.

Our portfolio companies may incur debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, our investments in such companies.

We have invested and intend to invest primarily in mezzanine and senior debt securities issued by our portfolio companies. The portfolio companies usually have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the debt securities in which we invest. By their terms, such debt instruments may provide that the holders are entitled to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments in respect of the debt securities in which we invest. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any distribution in respect of our investment. After repaying such senior creditors, such portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equally with debt securities in which we invest, we would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company. In addition, we may not be in a position to control any portfolio company by investing in its debt securities. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company in which we invest may make business decisions with which we disagree and the management of such company, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt investors.

Our incentive fee may induce AIM to make certain investments, including speculative investments.

The incentive fee payable by us to AIM may create an incentive for AIM to make investments on our behalf that are risky or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee payable to AIM is determined, which is calculated separately in two components as a percentage of the net investment income (subject to a performance threshold) and as a percentage of the realized gain on invested capital, may encourage our investment adviser to use leverage to increase the return on our investments. Under certain circumstances, the use of leverage may increase the

 

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likelihood of default, which would disfavor the holders of our common stock, including investors in offerings of common stock, securities convertible into our common stock or warrants representing rights to purchase our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock. In addition, AIM receives the incentive fee based, in part, upon net capital gains realized on our investments. Unlike the portion of the incentive fee based on net investment income, there is no performance threshold applicable to the portion of the incentive fee based on net capital gains. As a result, AIM may have a tendency to invest more in investments that are likely to result in capital gains as compared to income producing securities. Such a practice could result in our investing in more speculative securities than would otherwise be the case, which could result in higher investment losses, particularly during economic downturns.

The incentive fee payable by us to AIM also may create an incentive for AIM to invest on our behalf in instruments that have a deferred interest feature such as investments with PIK provisions. Under these investments, we would accrue the interest over the life of the investment but would typically not receive the cash income from the investment until the end of the term or upon the investment being called by the issuer. Our net investment income used to calculate the income portion of our incentive fee, however, includes accrued interest. For the time period between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2015, the portion of the incentive fee that is attributable to deferred interest, such as PIK, will not be paid to AIM until Apollo Investment receives such interest in cash. Even though such portion of the incentive fee will be paid only when the accrued income is collected, the accrued income is capitalized and included in the calculation of the base management fee. The accrual of incentive fees shall be reversed if such interest is reversed in connection with any write-off or similar treatment of the investment. The payment of incentive fees to AIM is made on accruals of expected cash interest. If a portfolio company defaults on a loan, it is possible that accrued interest previously used in the calculation of the incentive fee will become uncollectible. Thus, while a portion of this incentive fee would be based on income that we have not yet received in cash and with respect to which we do not have a formal claw-back right against our investment adviser per se, the amount of accrued income to the extent written off in any period will reduce the income in the period in which such write-off was taken and thereby reduce such period’s incentive fee payment. However, even if a loan is put on non-accrual status, its capitalized interest will not be reversed and may continue to be included in the calculation of the base management fee based on an estimation of the loan’s fair value.

We may invest, to the extent permitted by law, in the securities and instruments of other investment companies, including private funds, and, to the extent we so invest, will bear our ratable share of any such investment company’s expenses, including management and performance fees. We will also remain obligated to pay management and incentive fees to AIM with respect to the assets invested in the securities and instruments of other investment companies. With respect to each of these investments, each of our common stockholders will bear his or her share of the management and incentive fee of AIM as well as indirectly bearing the management and performance fees and other expenses of any investment companies in which we invest.

We may be obligated to pay our investment adviser incentive compensation even if we incur a loss.

Our investment adviser is entitled to incentive compensation for each fiscal quarter in an amount equal to a percentage of the excess of our pre-incentive fee net investment income for that quarter (before deducting incentive compensation) above a performance threshold for that quarter. Accordingly, since the performance threshold is based on a percentage of our net asset value, decreases in our net asset value make it easier to achieve the performance threshold. Our pre-incentive fee net investment income for incentive compensation purposes excludes realized and unrealized capital losses or depreciation that we may incur in the fiscal quarter, even if such capital losses or depreciation result in a net loss on our statement of operations for that quarter. Thus, we may be required to pay AIM incentive compensation for a fiscal quarter even if there is a decline in the value of our portfolio or we incur a net loss for that quarter. In addition, increases in interest rates may increase the amount of incentive fees we pay to our investment adviser even though our performance relative the market has not increased.

Our investments in foreign securities may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.

Our investment strategy contemplates that a portion of our investments may be in securities of foreign companies. Investing in foreign companies may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. These risks include changes in exchange control regulations, political and social

 

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instability, expropriation, imposition of foreign taxes, less liquid markets and less available information than is generally the case in the United States, higher transaction costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, less developed bankruptcy laws, difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility. These risks are likely to be more pronounced for investments in companies located in emerging markets and particularly for middle-market companies in these economies.

Although most of our investments are denominated in U.S. dollars, our investments that are denominated in a foreign currency are subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency may change in relation to one or more other currencies. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade balances, the level of short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of similar assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities for investment and capital appreciation, and political developments. We may employ hedging techniques to minimize these risks, but we can offer no assurance that we will, in fact, hedge currency risk or, that if we do, such strategies will be effective.

Hedging transactions may expose us to additional risks.

If we engage in hedging transactions, we may expose ourselves to risks associated with such transactions. We may utilize instruments such as forward contracts, currency options and interest rate swaps, caps, collars and floors to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the relative values of our portfolio positions from changes in currency exchange rates and market interest rates. Hedging against a decline in the values of our portfolio positions does not eliminate the possibility of fluctuations in the values of such positions or prevent losses if the values of such positions decline. However, such hedging can establish other positions designed to gain from those same developments, thereby offsetting the decline in the value of such portfolio positions. Such hedging transactions may also limit the opportunity for gain if the values of the underlying portfolio positions should increase. Moreover, it may not be possible to hedge against an exchange rate or interest rate fluctuation that is so generally anticipated that we are not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an acceptable price. Our ability to engage in hedging transactions may also be adversely affected by recent rules adopted by the CFTC.

While we may enter into transactions to seek to reduce currency exchange rate and interest rate risks, unanticipated changes in currency exchange rates or interest rates may result in poorer overall investment performance than if we had not engaged in any such hedging transactions. In addition, the degree of correlation between price movements of the instruments used in a hedging strategy and price movements in the portfolio positions being hedged may vary. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, we may not seek to establish a perfect correlation between such hedging instruments and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Any such imperfect correlation may prevent us from achieving the intended hedge and expose us to risk of loss. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies because the value of those securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of factors not related to currency fluctuations. Our ability to engage in hedging transactions may also be adversely affected by recent rules adopted by the CFTC.

The effects of various environmental regulations may negatively affect the aviation industry and some of our portfolio companies.

The effects of various environmental regulations may negatively affect the airline industry. This may adversely affect some of our portfolio companies.

Governmental regulations regarding aircraft and engine noise and emissions levels apply based on where the relevant aircraft is registered and operated. For example, jurisdictions throughout the world have adopted noise regulations which require all aircraft to comply with noise level standards. In addition to the current requirements, the United States and the International Civil Aviation Organization (“ICAO”) have adopted a new, more stringent set of standards for noise levels which applies to engines manufactured or certified on or after January 1, 2006. Currently, U.S. regulations would not require any phase-out of aircraft that qualify with the

 

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older standards applicable to engines manufactured or certified prior to January 1, 2006, but the European Union has established a framework for the imposition of operating limitations on aircraft that do not comply with the new standards and incorporated aviation-related emissions into the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme (“ETS”) beginning in 2012.

In addition to more stringent noise restrictions, the United States and other jurisdictions are beginning to impose more stringent limits on nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions from engines, consistent with current ICAO standards. Concerns over global warming also could result in more stringent limitations on the operation of aircraft.

European countries generally have relatively strict environmental regulations that can restrict operational flexibility and decrease aircraft productivity. The European Parliament has confirmed that all emissions from flights within the European Union are subject to the ETS requirement, even those emissions that are emitted outside of the European Union. The European Union suspended the enforcement of the ETS requirements for international flights outside of the European Union due to a proposal issued by the ICAO in October 2013 to develop a global program to reduce international aviation emissions, which would be enforced by 2020. In response to this, the European Commission has proposed to amend the ETS so that only flights or portions thereof that take place in European regional airspace are subject to the ETS requirements. The potential impact of ETS and the forthcoming ICAO requirements on costs have not been completely identified. Any of these regulations could limit the economic life of the aircraft and engines, reduce their value, limit our portfolio companies’ ability to lease or sell the non-compliant aircraft and engines or, if engine modifications are permitted, require our portfolio companies to make significant additional investments in the aircraft and engines to make them compliant.

In addition, compliance with current or future regulations, taxes or duties imposed to deal with environmental concerns could cause our portfolio companies to incur higher costs, thereby generating lower net revenues and resulting in an adverse impact on the financial condition of such portfolio companies.

Investments in the energy sector are subject to many risks.

We have made certain investments in and relating to the energy sector. The operations of energy companies are subject to many risks inherent in the transporting, processing, storing, distributing, mining or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, coal, refined petroleum products or other hydrocarbons, or in the exploring, managing or producing of such commodities, including, without limitation: damage to pipelines, storage tanks or related equipment and surrounding properties caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires and other natural disasters or by acts of terrorism, inadvertent damage from construction and farm equipment, leaks of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined petroleum products or other hydrocarbons, and fires and explosions. These risks could result in substantial losses due to personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to and destruction of property and equipment and pollution or other environmental damage, and may result in the curtailment or suspension of their related operations, any and all of which could adversely affect our portfolio companies in the energy sector. In addition, the energy sector has experienced significant volatility at times, which may occur in the future, and which could negatively affect the returns on any investment made by the Company in this sector.

Crude oil and natural gas prices are volatile. A substantial and/or extended decline in crude oil and natural gas prices could have a material adverse effect on some of our portfolio companies in the energy sector.

Crude oil and natural gas prices historically have been volatile and likely will continue to be volatile given current geopolitical conditions. The prices for crude oil and natural gas are subject to a variety of factors beyond our control, such as the domestic and foreign supply of crude oil and natural gas; consumer demand for crude oil and natural gas, and market expectations regarding supply and demand. These factors and the volatility of the energy markets make it extremely difficult to predict price movements. Accordingly, our portfolio companies in the energy sector is at risk for the volatility in crude oil and natural gas prices. A prolonged decline in crude oil and/or natural gas prices may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and/or operating results.

 

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RISKS RELATED TO MATURITY OF OUR DEBT INSTRUMENTS

Our senior secured credit facility begins amortizing in April 2019 and any inability to renew, extend or replace the facility could adversely impact our liquidity and ability to find new investments or maintain distributions to our stockholders.

We maintain a senior secured multi-currency revolving credit facility (the “Senior Secured Facility”) with a group of lenders, under which we had approximately $385 million of indebtedness outstanding at March 31, 2015. On April 24, 2015, the Company amended and restated the Senior Secured Facility. The amendment increased the lenders’ commitments to $1.31 billion. Our lenders’ obligation to make new loans or other extensions of credit under the Senior Secured Facility ceases on April 24, 2019, and the facility has a final stated maturity date of April 24, 2020. In addition, commencing on May 31, 2019, Apollo Investment is required to repay, in twelve consecutive monthly installments of equal size, the outstanding amount under the Senior Secured Facility as of April 24, 2019. There can be no assurance that we will be able to renew, extend or replace the Senior Secured Facility upon the termination of the lenders’ obligations to make new loans or the Senior Secured Facility’s final maturity on terms that are favorable to us, if at all. Our ability to renew, extend or replace the Senior Secured Facility will be constrained by then-current economic conditions affecting the credit markets. In the event that we are not able to renew, extend or replace the Senior Secured Facility at the time of the termination of the lenders’ obligations to make new loans or the Senior Secured Facility’s final maturity, this could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and ability to fund new investments, our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and our ability to qualify as a RIC.

Our senior secured notes, unsecured notes and senior unsecured convertible notes have maturity dates over the course of the next several years, and any inability to replace or repay our senior secured notes, unsecured notes or senior unsecured convertible notes could adversely impact our liquidity and ability to fund new investments or maintain distributions to our stockholders.

On September 30, 2010, we entered into a note purchase agreement, providing for a private placement issuance of $225 million in aggregate principal amount of five-year, senior secured notes with a fixed interest rate of 6.25% and a maturity date of October 4, 2015 (the “Senior Secured Notes”). On January 25, 2011, we closed a private offering of $200 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured convertible notes (the “Convertible Notes”). The Convertible Notes bear interest at an annual rate of 5.75% and will mature on January 15, 2016 unless earlier converted or repurchased at the holder’s option. On September 29, 2011, we closed a private offering of $45 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes consisting of two series: (1) 5.875% Senior Secured Notes, Series A, of Apollo Investment due September 29, 2016 in the aggregate principal amount of $29 million (the “Series A Notes”); and (2) 6.250% Senior Secured Notes, Series B, of Apollo Investment due September 29, 2018, in the aggregate principal amount of $16 million (the “Series B Notes”).

On October 9, 2012, Apollo Investment issued $150 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.625% senior unsecured notes due October 15, 2042 (the “2042 Notes”). On June 17, 2013 Apollo Investment issued $135 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.875% senior unsecured notes due July 15, 2043 (the “2043 Notes”). An additional $15 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2043 Notes was issued on June 24, 2013 pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise of their option to purchase additional notes. On March 3, 2015, Apollo Investment issued $350 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.250% unsecured notes due 2025 (the “2025 Notes”).

There can be no assurance that we will be able to replace the Senior Secured Notes, the Convertible Notes, the Series A Notes, the Series B Notes, the 2025 Notes, the 2042 Notes or the 2043 Notes upon their maturity on terms that are favorable to us, if at all. Our ability to replace the Senior Secured Notes, the Convertible Notes, the Series A Notes, the Series B Notes, the 2025 Notes, the 2042 Notes or the 2043 Notes will be constrained by then-current economic conditions affecting the credit markets. In the event that we are not able to replace or repay the Senior Secured Notes, the Convertible Notes, the Series A Notes, the Series B Notes, the 2025 Notes, the 2042 Notes or the 2043 Notes at the time of their maturity, this could have a material adverse

 

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effect on our liquidity and ability to fund new investments, our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and our ability to qualify as a RIC.

The trading market or market value of our debt securities may fluctuate.

Our publicly issued debt securities may or may not have an established trading market. We cannot assure you that a trading market for debt securities will ever develop or be maintained if developed. In addition to our creditworthiness, many factors may materially adversely affect the trading market for, and market value of, debt securities we may issue. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

   

the time remaining to the maturity of these debt securities;

 

   

the outstanding principal amount of debt securities with terms identical to these debt securities;

 

   

the ratings assigned by national statistical ratings agencies;

 

   

the general economic environment;

 

   

the supply of debt securities trading in the secondary market, if any;

 

   

the redemption or repayment features, if any, of these debt securities;

 

   

the level, direction and volatility of market interest rates generally; and

 

   

market rates of interest higher or lower than rates borne by the debt securities.

You should also be aware that there may be a limited number of buyers if and when you decide to sell your debt securities. This too may materially adversely affect the market value of the debt securities or the trading market for the debt securities.

Terms relating to redemption may materially adversely affect your return on any debt securities that we may issue.

If our noteholders’ debt securities are redeemable at our option, we may choose to redeem your debt securities at times when prevailing interest rates are lower than the interest rate paid on your debt securities. In addition, if our noteholders’ debt securities are subject to mandatory redemption, we may be required to redeem such debt securities also at times when prevailing interest rates are lower than the interest rate paid on such debt securities. In this circumstance, a noteholder may not be able to reinvest the redemption proceeds in a comparable security at an effective interest rate as high as the debt securities being redeemed.

Our credit ratings may not reflect all risks of an investment in our debt securities.

Our credit ratings are an assessment by third parties of our ability to pay our obligations. Consequently, real or anticipated changes in our credit ratings will generally affect the market value of our debt securities. Our credit ratings, however, may not reflect the potential impact of risks related to market conditions generally or other factors discussed above on the market value of or trading market for the publicly issued debt securities.

RISKS RELATED TO ISSUANCE OF OUR PREFERRED STOCK

An investment in our preferred stock should not constitute a complete investment program.

If we issue preferred stock, the net asset value and market value of our common stock may become more volatile.

We cannot assure you that the issuance of preferred stock would result in a higher yield or return to the holders of the common stock. The issuance of preferred stock would likely cause the net asset value and market

 

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value of the common stock to become more volatile. If the dividend rate on the preferred stock were to approach the net rate of return on our investment portfolio, the benefit of leverage to the holders of the common stock would be reduced. If the dividend rate on the preferred stock were to exceed the net rate of return on our portfolio, the leverage would result in a lower rate of return to the holders of common stock than if we had not issued preferred stock. Any decline in the net asset value of our investments would be borne entirely by the holders of common stock. Therefore, if the market value of our portfolio were to decline, the leverage would result in a greater decrease in net asset value to the holders of common stock than if we were not leveraged through the issuance of preferred stock. This greater net asset value decrease would also tend to cause a greater decline in the market price for the common stock. We might be in danger of failing to maintain the required asset coverage of the preferred stock or of losing our ratings on the preferred stock or, in an extreme case, our current investment income might not be sufficient to meet the dividend requirements on the preferred stock. In order to counteract such an event, we might need to liquidate investments in order to fund a redemption of some or all of the preferred stock. In addition, we would pay (and the holders of common stock would bear) all costs and expenses relating to the issuance and ongoing maintenance of the preferred stock, including higher advisory fees if our total return exceeds the dividend rate on the preferred stock. Holders of preferred stock may have different interests than holders of common stock and may at times have disproportionate influence over our affairs.

The issuance of shares of preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms favorable to the holders of preferred stock could adversely affect the market price for our common stock by making an investment in the common stock less attractive. In addition, the dividends on any preferred stock we issue must be cumulative. Payment of dividends and repayment of the liquidation preference of preferred stock must take preference over any dividends or other payments to our common stockholders, and holders of preferred stock are not subject to any of our expenses or losses and are not entitled to participate in any income or appreciation in excess of their stated preference (other than convertible preferred stock that converts into common stock). In addition, under the 1940 Act, preferred stock constitutes a “senior security” for purposes of the 200% asset coverage test.

Holders of any preferred stock we might issue would have the right to elect members of the board of directors and class voting rights on certain matters.

Holders of any preferred stock we might issue, voting separately as a single class, would have the right to elect two members of the board of directors at all times and in the event dividends become two full years in arrears would have the right to elect a majority of the directors until such arrearage is completely eliminated. In addition, preferred stockholders have class voting rights on certain matters, including changes in fundamental investment restrictions and conversion to open-end status, and accordingly can veto any such changes. Restrictions imposed on the declarations and payment of dividends or other distributions to the holders of our common stock and preferred stock, both by the 1940 Act and by requirements imposed by rating agencies or the terms of our credit facilities, might impair our ability to maintain our qualification as a RIC for federal income tax purposes. While we would intend to redeem our preferred stock to the extent necessary to enable us to distribute our income as required to maintain our qualification as a RIC, there can be no assurance that such actions could be effected in time to meet the tax requirements.

RISKS RELATING TO AN INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMON STOCK

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk and is highly speculative.

The investments we make in accordance with our investment objective may result in a higher amount of risk than alternative investment options and volatility or loss of principal. Our investments in portfolio companies may be highly speculative and aggressive, therefore, an investment in our securities may not be suitable for someone with a low risk tolerance.

 

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There is a risk that investors in our equity securities may not receive distributions or that our distributions may not grow over time and that investors in our debt securities may not receive all of the interest income to which they are entitled.

We intend to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. We cannot assure you that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. In addition, due to the asset coverage test applicable to us as a business development company, we may in the future be limited in our ability to make distributions. Also, our revolving credit facility may limit our ability to declare dividends if we default under certain provisions or fail to satisfy certain other conditions. If we do not distribute a certain percentage of our income annually, we will suffer adverse tax consequences, including possible loss of the tax benefits available to us as a RIC. In addition, in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and tax regulations, we include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as contractual payment-in-kind interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance that becomes due at the end of the loan term, or the accrual of original issue or market discount. Since we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty meeting the requirement to distribute at least 90% of our investment company taxable income to obtain tax benefits as a RIC.

We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible federal excise tax on certain undistributed income of RICs unless we distribute in a timely manner an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our ordinary income for each calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 in that calendar year and (3) any income recognized, but not distributed, in preceding years. We will not be subject to excise taxes on amounts on which we are required to pay corporate income taxes (such as retained net capital gains).

Finally, if more stockholders opt to receive cash distributions rather than participate in our dividend reinvestment plan, we may be forced to liquidate some of our investments and raise cash in order to make cash distribution payments.

Our shares may trade at discounts from net asset value or at premiums that are unsustainable over the long term.

Shares of business development companies may trade at a market price that is less than the net asset value that is attributable to those shares. The possibility that our shares of common stock will trade at a discount from net asset value or at a premium that is unsustainable over the long term are separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value will decrease. It is not possible to predict whether shares will trade at, above, or below net asset value.

Investigations and reviews of Apollo affiliates’ use of placement agents could harm Apollo Investment’s reputation, depress its stock price or have other negative consequences.

While Apollo Investment has not, to date, raised any funds through the use of placement agents (other than through the ordinary course engagement of underwriters, from time to time, in connection with the public offering of Apollo Investment’s securities), affiliates of AIM sometimes use placement agents to assist in marketing certain of the investment funds that they manage. Various state attorneys general and federal and state agencies have initiated industry-wide investigations into the use of placement agents in connection with the solicitation of investments, particularly with respect to investments by public pension funds. Certain affiliates of AGM have received subpoenas and other requests for information from various government regulatory agencies and investors in AGM’s funds, seeking information regarding the use of placement agents. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (“CalPERS”), one of AGM’s strategic investors, announced on October 14, 2009, that it had initiated a special review of placement agents and related issues. The report of the CalPERS special review was issued on March 14, 2011. That report does not allege any wrongdoing on the part of AGM or its affiliates. AGM is continuing to cooperate with all such investigations and other revisions. In addition, on May 6, 2010, the California Attorney General filed a civil complaint against Alfred Villalobos and his company, Arvco Capital Research, LLC

 

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(a placement agent that AGM has used) and Federico Buenrostro Jr., the former CEO of CalPERS, alleging conduct in violation of certain California laws in connection with CalPERS’ purchase of securities in various funds managed by AGM and another asset manager. No AGM entity is a party to the civil lawsuit, nor does the lawsuit allege any misconduct on the part of Apollo Investment, AIM or AGM. Likewise, on April 23, 2012, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit alleging securities fraud on the part of Arvco, as well as Messrs. Buenrostro and Villalobos, in connection with their activities concerning certain CalPERS investments in funds managed by AGM. This lawsuit also does not allege wrongdoing on the part of AGM, and in fact alleges that AGM was defrauded by Arvco, Villalobos, and Buenrostro. On March 14, 2013, the United States Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against Messrs. Villalobos and Buenrostro alleging, among other crimes, fraud in connection with those same activities; again, AGM is not accused of any wrongdoing and in fact is alleged to have been defrauded by the defendants. The criminal action was set for trial in a San Francisco federal court in July 2014, but was put on hold after Mr. Buenrostro pleaded guilty on July 11, 2014. As part of Mr. Buenrostro’s plea agreement, he admitted to taking cash and other bribes from Mr. Villalobos in exchange for several improprieties, including attempting to influence CalPERS’ investing decisions and improperly preparing disclosure letters to satisfy AGM’s requirements. There is no suggestion that AGM was aware that Mr. Buenrostro had signed the letters with a corrupt motive. The government has indicated that they will file new charges against Mr. Villalobos incorporating Mr. Buenrostro’s admissions. On August 7, 2014, the government filed a superseding indictment against Mr. Villalobos asserting additional charges. Trial had been scheduled for February 23, 2015, but Mr. Villalobos passed away on January 13, 2015. Additionally, on April 15, 2013, Mr. Villalobos, Arvco and related entities (the “Arvco Debtors”) brought a civil action in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada (the “Bankruptcy Court”) against AGM. The action is related to the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings of the Arvco Debtors. This action alleges that Arvco served as a placement agent for AGM in connection with several funds associated with AGM, and seeks to recover purported fees the Arvco Debtors claim AGM has not paid them for a portion of Arvco’s placement agent services. In addition, the Arvco Debtors allege that AGM has interfered with the Arvco Debtors’ commercial relationships with third parties, purportedly causing the Arvco Debtors to lose business and to incur fees and expenses in the defense of various investigations and litigations. The Arvco Debtors also seek compensation from AGM for these alleged lost profits and fees and expenses. The Arvco Debtors’ complaint asserts various theories of recovery under the Bankruptcy Code and common law. AGM denies the merit of all of the Arvco Debtors’ claims and will vigorously contest them. The Bankruptcy Court has stayed this action pending the result in the criminal case against Mr. Villalobos. For these reasons, no estimate of possible loss, if any, can be made at this time.

The market price of our securities may fluctuate significantly.

The market price and liquidity of the market for our securities may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include:

 

   

volatility in the market price and trading volume of securities of business development companies or other companies in our sector, which are not necessarily related to the operating performance of these companies;

 

   

changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly with respect to RICs or business development companies;

 

   

loss of RIC status;

 

   

changes in earnings or variations in operating results;

 

   

changes in the value of our portfolio of investments;

 

   

any shortfall in revenue or net income or any increase in losses from levels expected by investors or securities analysts;

 

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departure of AIM’s key personnel;

 

   

operating performance of companies comparable to us;

 

   

general economic trends and other external factors; and

 

   

loss of a major funding source.

We may be unable to invest the net proceeds raised from offerings on acceptable terms, which would harm our financial condition and operating results.

Until we identify new investment opportunities, we intend to either invest the net proceeds of future offerings in interest-bearing deposits or other short-term instruments or use the net proceeds from such offerings to reduce then-outstanding obligations under our credit facility. We cannot assure you that we will be able to find enough appropriate investments that meet our investment criteria or that any investment we complete using the proceeds from an offering will produce a sufficient return.

Sales of substantial amounts of our securities may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities.

Sales of substantial amounts of our securities, or the availability of such securities for sale, could adversely affect the prevailing market prices for our securities. If this occurs and continues, it could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of securities should we desire to do so.

If you do not fully exercise your subscription rights in any rights offering of our common stock, your interest in us may be diluted and, if the subscription price is less than our net asset value per share, you may experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate net asset value of your shares.

In the event we issue subscription rights to acquire shares of our common stock, stockholders who do not fully exercise their subscription rights should expect that they will, at the completion of the rights offering, own a smaller proportional interest in us than would be the case if they fully exercised their rights.

In addition, if the subscription price is less than the net asset value per share of our common stock, a stockholder who does not fully exercise its subscription rights may experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate net asset value of its shares as a result of the offering.

We would not be able to state the amount of any such dilution prior to knowing the results of the offering. Such dilution could be substantial.

Stockholders may experience dilution in their ownership percentage if they do not participate in our dividend reinvestment plan.

All distributions declared in cash payable to stockholders that are participants in our dividend reinvestment plan are generally automatically reinvested in shares of our common stock. As a result, stockholders that do not participate in the dividend reinvestment plan may experience dilution over time. Stockholders who do not elect to receive distributions in shares of common stock may experience accretion to the net asset value of their shares if our shares are trading at a premium and dilution if our shares are trading at a discount. The level of accretion or discount would depend on various factors, including the proportion of our stockholders who participate in the plan, the level of premium or discount at which our shares are trading and the amount of the distribution payable to a stockholder.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from selling securities pursuant to this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which include investing in portfolio companies in accordance with our investment objective and strategies. We anticipate that substantially all of the net proceeds of an offering of securities pursuant to this prospectus will be used within two years, depending on the availability of appropriate investment opportunities consistent with our investment objective and market conditions. Our portfolio is comprised primarily of investments in debt, including secured and unsecured debt of private-middle market companies that, in the case of senior secured loans, generally are not broadly syndicated and whose aggregate tranche size is typically less than $250 million. Our portfolio also includes equity interests such as common stock, preferred stock, warrants or options. Pending our investments in new debt investments, we plan to invest a portion of the net proceeds from an offering in cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less from the date of investment, to reduce then-outstanding obligations under our debt instruments, or for other general corporate purposes. The management fee payable by us will not be reduced while our assets are invested in such securities. See “Regulation—Temporary investments” for additional information about temporary investments we may make while waiting to make longer-term investments in pursuit of our investment objective. The supplement to this prospectus relating to an offering will more fully identify the use of the proceeds from such offering.

 

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DISTRIBUTIONS

We intend to continue to pay dividends or make other distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders. Our quarterly distributions, if any, will be determined by our board of directors. We expect that our distributions to shareholders generally will be from accumulated net investment income and from cumulative net realized capital gains, as applicable, although a portion may represent a return of capital.

We have elected to be taxed as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. To maintain our RIC status, we must distribute at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any, out of the assets legally available for distribution. In addition, although we currently intend to distribute realized net capital gains (i.e., net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses), if any, at least annually, out of the assets legally available for such distributions, we may in the future decide to retain such capital gains for investment. In addition, we have substantial net capital loss carryforwards and consequently do not expect to generate cumulative net capital gains in the foreseeable future.

We maintain an “opt out” dividend reinvestment plan for our common stockholders. As a result, if we declare a distribution, then stockholders’ cash dividends will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, unless they specifically “opt out” of the dividend reinvestment plan so as to receive cash dividends.

We may not be able to achieve operating results that will allow us to make distributions at a specific level or to increase the amount of these distributions from time to time. In addition, due to the asset coverage test applicable to us as a business development company, we may in the future be limited in our ability to make distributions. Also, our revolving credit facility may limit our ability to declare dividends if we default under certain provisions or fail to satisfy certain other conditions. If we do not distribute a certain percentage of our income annually, we may suffer adverse tax consequences, including possible loss of the tax benefits available to us as a regulated investment company. In addition, in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and tax regulations, we include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as contractual PIK interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance that becomes due at the end of the loan term, or the accrual of original issue or market discount. Since we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may not be able to meet the requirement to distribute at least 90% of our investment company taxable income to obtain tax benefits as a regulated investment company.

With respect to the distributions to stockholders, income from origination, structuring, closing, commitment and other upfront fees associated with investments in portfolio companies is treated as taxable income and accordingly, distributed to stockholders.

All distributions declared in cash payable to stockholders that are participants in our dividend reinvestment plan are generally automatically reinvested in shares of our common stock. As a result, stockholders that do not participate in the dividend reinvestment plan may experience dilution over time. Stockholders who do not elect to receive distributions in shares of common stock may experience accretion to the net asset value of their shares if our shares are trading at a premium and dilution if our shares are trading at a discount. The level of accretion or discount would depend on various factors, including the proportion of our stockholders who participate in the plan, the level of premium or discount at which our shares are trading and the amount of the distribution payable to a stockholder.

 

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The following table lists the quarterly distributions per share from our common stock for the past two fiscal years.

 

     Declared Distributions  

Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2015

  

Fourth Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Third Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Second Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

First Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2014

  

Fourth Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Third Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Second Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

First Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

 

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SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The following selected financial and other data for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 are derived from our financial statements which have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm.

This selected financial data should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes thereto and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

     For the Year Ended March 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)
 

Statement of Operations Data:

   2015     2014     2013     2012     2011  

Total Investment Income

   $ 433,631      $ 381,346      $ 331,994      $ 357,584      $ 358,779   

Net Expenses (including excise taxes)

   $ 205,658      $ 180,098      $ 164,634      $ 184,842      $ 167,607   

Net Investment Income

   $ 227,973      $ 201,248      $ 167,360      $ 172,742      $ 191,172   

Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses)

   $ (152,551   $ 69,624      $ (62,889   $ (259,006   $ (10,760

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

   $ 75,422      $ 270,872      $ 104,471      $ (86,264   $ 180,412   

Per Share Data:

          

Net Asset Value

   $ 8.18      $ 8.67      $ 8.27      $ 8.55      $ 10.03   

Net Investment Income

   $ 0.96      $ 0.91      $ 0.83      $ 0.88      $ 0.99   

Net Earnings (Loss) Per Share (Basic)

   $ 0.32      $ 1.21      $ 0.51      $ (0.44   $ 0.93   

Net Earnings (Loss) Per Share (Diluted)

   $ 0.32      $ 1.18      $ 0.51      $ (0.44   $ 0.93   

Distributions Declared

   $ 0.80      $ 0.80      $ 0.80      $ 1.04      $ 1.12   

Balance Sheet Data:

          

Total Assets

   $ 3,560,891      $ 3,641,951      $ 2,944,312      $ 2,775,263      $ 3,148,813   

Debt Outstanding

   $ 1,498,759      $ 1,372,261      $ 1,156,067      $ 1,009,337      $ 1,053,443   

Total Net Assets

   $ 1,937,608      $ 2,051,611      $ 1,677,389      $ 1,685,231      $ 1,961,031   

Other Data:

          

Total Return (1)

   $ 1.9     9.4     28.2     (32.4 )%      5.1

Number of Portfolio Companies at Year End

     105        111        81        62        69   

Total Portfolio Investments for the Year

   $ 2,211,081      $ 2,816,149      $ 1,537,366      $ 1,480,508      $ 1,085,601   

Investment Sales and Repayments for the Year

   $ 2,250,782      $ 2,322,189      $ 1,337,431      $ 1,634,520      $ 977,493   

Weighted Average Yield on Debt Portfolio at Year End

     11.2     11.1     11.9     11.9     11.6

Weighted Average Shares Outstanding at Year End (Basic) (2)

     236,741        222,800        202,875        196,584        193,192   

Weighted Average Shares Outstanding at Year End (Diluted) (2)

     251,289        237,348        217,423        211,132        195,823   

 

(1) Total return is based on the change in market price per share and takes into account dividends and distributions, if any, reinvested in accordance with our dividend reinvestment plan.

 

(2) In applying the if-converted method, conversion is not assumed for purposes of computing diluted earnings per share if the effect would be anti-dilutive. For fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, March 31, 2013 and March 31, 2012, anti-dilution would total $0.02, $0.02 and $0.08, respectively.

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some of the statements in this prospectus constitute forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus involve risks and uncertainties, including statements as to:

 

   

our future operating results;

 

   

our business prospects and the prospects of our portfolio companies;

 

   

the impact of investments that we expect to make;

 

   

our contractual arrangements and relationships with third parties;

 

   

the dependence of our future success on the general economy and its impact on the industries in which we invest;

 

   

the ability of our portfolio companies to achieve their objectives;

 

   

our expected financings and investments;

 

   

the adequacy of our cash resources and working capital; and

 

   

the timing of cash flows, if any, from the operations of our portfolio companies.

We generally use words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including the factors set forth in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.

We have based the forward-looking statements included in this prospectus on information available to us on the date of this prospectus. Although we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, we have a general obligation to update to reflect material changes in our disclosures and you are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports that we in the future may file with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to historical information, the following discussion and other parts of this prospectus contain forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by such forward-looking information due to the factors discussed under “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements” appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

OVERVIEW

Apollo Investment was incorporated under the Maryland General Corporation Law in February 2004. We have elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. As such, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. For instance, we generally have to invest at least 70% of our total assets in “qualifying assets,” including securities of private or thinly traded public U.S. companies, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. In addition, for federal income tax purposes we have elected to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. Pursuant to this election and assuming we qualify as a RIC, we generally do not have to pay corporate-level federal income taxes on any income we distribute to our stockholders. Apollo Investment commenced operations on April 8, 2004 upon completion of its initial public offering that raised $870 million in net proceeds from selling 62 million shares of its common stock at a price of $15.00 per share. Since then, and through March 31, 2015, we have raised approximately $2.2 billion in net proceeds from additional offerings of common stock.

Investments

Our level of investment activity can and does vary substantially from period to period depending on many factors, including the amount of debt and equity capital available to middle-market companies, the level of merger and acquisition activity for such companies, the general economic environment, and the competitive environment for the types of investments we make. As a business development company, we must not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” specified in the 1940 Act unless, at the time the acquisition is made, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets (with certain limited exceptions).

Revenue

We generate revenue primarily in the form of interest and dividend income from the securities we hold and capital gains, if any, on investment securities that we may acquire in portfolio companies. Our debt investments, whether in the form of mezzanine or senior secured loans, generally have a stated term of five to ten years and bear interest at a fixed rate or a floating rate usually determined on the basis of a benchmark: LIBOR, Euro Interbank Offered Rate (EURIBOR), British pound sterling LIBOR (GBP LIBOR), or the prime rate. Interest on debt securities is generally payable quarterly or semiannually and while U.S. subordinated debt and corporate notes typically accrue interest at fixed rates, some of our investments may include zero coupon and/or step-up bonds that accrue income on a constant yield to call or maturity basis. In addition, some of our investments provide for PIK interest or dividends. Such amounts of accrued PIK interest or dividends are added to the cost of the investment on the respective capitalization dates and generally become due at maturity of the investment or upon the investment being called by the issuer. We may also generate revenue in the form of commitment, origination, structuring fees, fees for providing managerial assistance and, if applicable, consulting fees, etc.

Expenses

For all investment professionals of the investment adviser and their staff, when and to the extent engaged in providing investment advisory and management services to us, the compensation and routine

 

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overhead expenses of that personnel which is allocable to those services are provided and paid for by AIM. We bear all other costs and expenses of our operations and transactions, including those relating to:

 

   

investment advisory and management fees;

 

   

expenses incurred by AIM payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisors, in monitoring our financial and legal affairs and in monitoring our investments and performing due diligence on our prospective portfolio companies;

 

   

calculation of our net asset value (including the cost and expenses of any independent valuation firm);

 

   

direct costs and expenses of administration, including independent registered public accounting and legal costs;

 

   

costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents with the SEC;

 

   

interest payable on debt, if any, incurred to finance our investments;

 

   

offerings of our common stock and other securities;

 

   

registration and listing fees;

 

   

fees payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisors, relating to, or associated with, evaluating and making investments;

 

   

transfer agent and custodial fees;

 

   

taxes;

 

   

independent directors’ fees and expenses;

 

   

marketing and distribution-related expenses;

 

   

the costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to stockholders, including printing and postage costs;

 

   

our allocable portion of the fidelity bond, directors and officers/errors and omissions liability insurance, and any other insurance premiums;

 

   

organizational costs; and

 

   

all other expenses incurred by us or the Administrator in connection with administering our business, such as our allocable portion of overhead under the Administration Agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the cost of our chief financial officer, chief compliance officer and their respective staffs.

We expect our general and administrative operating expenses related to our ongoing operations to increase moderately in dollar terms. During periods of asset growth, we generally expect our general and administrative operating expenses to decline as a percentage of our total assets and increase during periods of asset declines. Incentive fees, interest expense and costs relating to future offerings of securities, among others, may also increase or reduce overall operating expenses based on portfolio performance, interest rate benchmarks, and offerings of our securities relative to comparative periods, among other factors.

 

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Portfolio and Investment Activity

Our portfolio and investment activity during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 is as follows:

 

(amounts in millions)

   For the fiscal year
ended March 31,
2015
     For the fiscal year
ended March 31,
2014
 

Investment made in portfolio companies (1)

   $ 2,211       $ 2,816   

Investments sold

     (1,407      (1,006
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net activity before repaid investments

     804         1,810   

Investments repaid

     (844      (1,316
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net investment activity

   $ (40    $ 494   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Portfolio companies, at beginning of period

     111         81   

Number of new portfolio companies

     60         81   

Number of exited companies

     (66      (51
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Portfolio companies, at end of period

     105         111   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Number of investments in existing portfolio companies

     47         50   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) Investments were primarily made through a combination of primary and secondary debt investments.

Our portfolio composition and weighted average yields at March 31, 2015 and at March 31, 2014 are as follows:

 

     March 31, 2015     March 31, 2014  

Portfolio composition, measured at fair value:

    

Secured debt

     60     56

Unsecured debt

     14     27

Structured products and other (1)

     11     6

Preferred equity

     5     3

Common equity and warrants

     10     8

Weighted average yields, at current cost basis, exclusive of securities on non-accrual status (2):

    

Secured debt portfolio

     11.2     10.8

Unsecured debt portfolio

     10.9     11.5

Total debt portfolio

     11.2     11.1

Income-bearing investment portfolio composition, measured at fair value:

    

Fixed rate amount

   $  1.3 billion      $  1.7 billion   

Floating rate amount

   $ 1.4 billion      $ 1.3 billion   

Fixed rate %

     48     58

Floating rate %

     52     42

Income-bearing investment portfolio composition, measured at cost:

    

Fixed rate amount

   $ 1.4 billion      $ 1.7 billion   

Floating rate amount

   $ 1.4 billion      $ 1.2 billion   

Fixed rate %

     50     58

Floating rate %

     50     42

 

(1) Structured products and other such as collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and credit-linked notes (“CLNs”) are typically a form of securitization in which the cash flows from a portfolio of loans are pooled and passed on to different classes of debt and residual interest in order of seniority.

 

(2) An investor’s yield may be lower than the portfolio yield due to sales loads and other expenses.

 

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Since the initial public offering of Apollo Investment in April 2004 and through March 31, 2015, invested capital totaled $15.4 billion in 350 portfolio companies. Over the same period, Apollo Investment completed transactions with more than 100 different financial sponsors.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Changes in the economic environment, financial markets and any other parameters used in determining such estimates could cause actual results to differ materially. In addition to the discussion below, our critical accounting policies are further described in the notes to the financial statements.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company follows guidance in ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, where fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value measurements are determined within a framework that establishes a three-tier hierarchy which maximizes the use of observable market data and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. Inputs refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk, such as the risk inherent in a particular valuation technique used to measure fair value using a pricing model and/or the risk inherent in the inputs for the valuation technique. Inputs may be observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the information available. For more information about the effects from changes in interest rate, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk.” The inputs or methodology used for valuing assets or liabilities may not be an indication of the risks associated with investing in those assets or liabilities. Under procedures established by our board of directors, we value investments, including certain secured debt, unsecured debt, and other debt securities with maturities greater than 60 days, for which market quotations are readily available, at such market quotations (unless they are deemed not to represent fair value). We attempt to obtain market quotations from at least two brokers or dealers (if available, otherwise from a principal market maker or a primary market dealer or other independent pricing service). We utilize mid-market pricing as a practical expedient for fair value unless a different point within the range is more representative. Mid-market pricing is utilizing the average of the range of bid and ask quotations when determining fair value. If and when market quotations are deemed not to represent fair value, we typically utilize independent third party valuation firms to assist us in determining fair value. Accordingly, such investments go through our multi-step valuation process as described below. In each case, our independent valuation firms consider observable market inputs together with significant unobservable inputs in arriving at their valuation recommendations for such investments. Debt investments with remaining maturities of 60 days or less may each be valued at cost with interest accrued or discount amortized to the date of maturity, unless such valuation, in the judgment of our investment adviser, does not represent fair value. In this case, such investments shall be valued at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our board of directors, using market quotations where available. Investments that are not publicly traded or whose market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our board of directors. Such determination of fair values may involve subjective judgments and estimates.

 

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With respect to investments for which market quotations are not readily available or when such market quotations are deemed not to represent fair value, our board of directors has approved a multi-step valuation process each quarter, as described below:

(1) our quarterly valuation process begins with each portfolio company or investment being initially valued by the investment professionals of our investment adviser which is responsible for the portfolio investment;

(2) preliminary valuation conclusions are then documented and discussed with senior management of our investment adviser;

(3) independent valuation firms are engaged by our board of directors to conduct independent appraisals by reviewing our investment adviser’s preliminary valuations and then making their own independent assessment;

(4) the audit committee of the board of directors reviews the preliminary valuation of our investment adviser and the valuation prepared by the independent valuation firm and responds to the valuation recommendation of the independent valuation firm to reflect any comments; and

(5) the board of directors discusses valuations and determines in good faith the fair value of each investment in our portfolio based on the input of our investment adviser, the applicable independent valuation firm, third party pricing services, and the audit committee.

Investments in all asset classes are valued utilizing a market approach, an income approach, or both approaches, as appropriate. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities (including a business). The income approach uses valuation techniques to convert future amounts (for example, cash flows or earnings) to a single present amount (discounted). The measurement is based on the value indicated by current market expectations about those future amounts. In following these approaches, the types of factors that we may take into account in fair value pricing our investments include, as relevant: available current market data, including relevant and applicable market trading and transaction comparables, applicable market yields and multiples, security covenants, seniority of investment in the investee company’s capital structure, call protection provisions, information rights, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments, its earnings and discounted cash flows, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparisons of financial ratios of peer companies that are public, M&A comparables, our principal market (as the reporting entity) and enterprise values, among other factors. When readily available, broker quotations and/or quotations provided by pricing services are considered in the valuation process of independent valuation firms. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, there was no change to the Company’s valuation techniques and related inputs considered in the valuation process.

ASC 820 classifies the inputs used to measure these fair values into the following hierarchy:

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities, accessible by the Company at the measurement date.

Level 2: Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, or quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or other observable inputs other than quoted prices.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.

 

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In all cases, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls has been determined based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to each investment. Of the Company’s investments at March 31, 2015, $2.8 billion or 82.2% of the Company’s investments were classified as Level 3.

The high proportion of Level 3 investments relative to our total investments is directly related to our investment philosophy and target portfolio, which consists primarily of long-term secured debt, as well as unsecured and mezzanine positions of private middle-market companies. A fundamental difference exists between our investments and those of comparable publicly traded fixed income investments, namely high yield bonds, and this difference affects the valuation of our private investments relative to comparable publicly traded instruments.

Senior secured loans, or senior loans, are higher in the capital structure than high yield bonds, and are typically secured by assets of the borrowing company. This improves their recovery prospects in the event of default and affords senior loans a structural advantage over high yield bonds. Many of the Company’s investments are also privately negotiated and contain covenant protections that limit the issuer to take actions that could harm us as a creditor. High yield bonds typically do not contain such covenants.

Given the structural advantages of capital seniority and covenant protection, the valuation of our private debt portfolio is driven more by investment specific credit factors than movements in the broader debt capital markets. Each security is evaluated individually and as indicated above, we value our private investments based upon a multi-step valuation process, including valuation recommendations from independent valuation firms.

Investment Income Recognition

The Company records interest and dividend income, adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discount, on an accrual basis. Some of our loans and other investments, including certain preferred equity investments, may have contractual payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest or dividends. PIK interest and dividends computed at the contractual rate are accrued into income and reflected as receivable up to the capitalization date. PIK investments offer issuers the option at each payment date of making payments in cash or in additional securities. When additional securities are received, they typically have the same terms, including maturity dates and interest rates as the original securities issued. On these payment dates, the Company capitalizes the accrued interest or dividends receivable (reflecting such amounts as the basis in the additional securities received). PIK generally becomes due at maturity of the investment or upon the investment being called by the issuer. At the point the Company believes PIK is not expected to be realized, the PIK investment will be placed on non-accrual status. When a PIK investment is placed on non-accrual status, the accrued, uncapitalized interest or dividends are reversed from the related receivable through interest or dividend income, respectively. The Company does not reverse previously capitalized PIK interest or dividends. Upon capitalization, PIK is subject to the fair value estimates associated with their related investments. PIK investments on non-accrual status are restored to accrual status if the Company believes that PIK is expected to be realized.

Investments that are expected to pay regularly scheduled interest and/or dividends in cash are generally placed on non-accrual status when principal or interest/dividend cash payments are past due 30 days or more and/or when it is no longer probable that principal or interest/dividend cash payments will be collected. Such non-accrual investments are restored to accrual status if past due principal and interest or dividends are paid in cash, and in management’s judgment, are likely to continue timely payment of their remaining interest or dividend obligations. Interest or dividend cash payments received on non-accrual designated investments may be recognized as income or applied to principal depending upon management’s judgment.

Loan origination fees, original issue discount, and market discounts are capitalized and amortized into income using the interest method or straight-line, as applicable. Upon the prepayment of a loan, any unamortized

 

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loan origination fees are recorded as interest income. We record prepayment premiums on loans and other investments as interest income when we receive such amounts. Other income generally includes administrative fee, and structuring fees, which are recorded when earned.

The Company records as dividend income the accretable yield from its beneficial interests in structured products such as CLOs based upon a number of cash flow assumptions that are subject to uncertainties and contingencies. Such assumptions include the rate and timing of principal and interest receipts (which may be subject to prepayments and defaults) of the underlying pools of assets. These assumptions are updated on at least a quarterly basis to reflect changes related to a particular security, actual historical data, and market changes. A structured product investment typically has an underlying pool of assets. Payments on structured product investments are payable solely from the cash flows from such assets. As such any unforeseen event in these underlying pools of assets might impact the expected recovery and future accrual of income.

Expenses

Expenses include management fees, performance-based incentive fees, insurance expenses, administrative service fees, legal fees, directors’ fees, audit and tax service expenses, and other general and administrative expenses. Expenses are recognized on an accrual basis.

Net Realized Gains or Losses and Net Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss)

We measure realized gains or losses by the difference between the net proceeds from the repayment or sale and the amortized cost basis of the investment, without regard to unrealized appreciation or depreciation previously recognized, but considering unamortized upfront fees and prepayment penalties. Net change in unrealized gain (loss) reflects the net change in portfolio investment values during the reporting period, including the reversal of previously recorded unrealized gains or losses.

Within the context of these critical accounting policies, we are not currently aware of any reasonably likely events or circumstances that would result in materially different amounts being reported.

 

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Operating results for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:

 

(in thousands)    March 31,
2015
    March 31,
2014
    March 31,
2013
 

Investment income

      

Interest

   $ 388,612      $ 336,658      $ 296,205   

Dividends

     32,533        31,835        19,060   

Other

     12,486        12,853        16,729   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total investment income

   $ 433,631      $ 381,346      $ 331,994   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Expenses

      

Base management fees and performance-based incentive fees, net of amounts waived

   $ (111,168   $ (97,651   $ (94,076

Interest and other debt expenses, net of expense reimbursements

     (79,247     (68,590     (58,200

Administrative services expenses, net of expense reimbursements

     (5,700     (5,600     (4,389

Other general and administrative expenses

     (9,543     (8,257     (7,969
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net expenses

     (205,658     (180,098     (164,634
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income

   $ 227,973      $ 201,248      $ 167,360   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments, cash equivalents, derivatives and foreign currencies

      

Net realized loss

   $ (13,368   $ (106,507   $ (74,673

Net change in unrealized gain (loss)

     (139,183     176,131        11,784   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) from investments, cash equivalents, derivatives and foreign currencies

     (152,551     69,624        (62,889
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

   $ 75,422      $ 270,872      $ 104,471   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment income on per average share basis

   $ 0.96      $ 0.91      $ 0.83   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings per share—basic

   $ 0.32      $ 1.21      $ 0.51   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings per share—diluted

   $ 0.32      $ 1.18      $ 0.51   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Investment Income

The increase in total investment income for the fiscal year 2015 compared to the fiscal year 2014 was primarily due to the increase in interest income. Interest income increased due to an increase in the investment portfolio size, which increased to an average cost of $3.5 billion for the fiscal year 2015 from an average cost of $3.2 billion for the fiscal year 2014. The increase in investment income was also due to increase in prepayment fees and acceleration of original issue discount on repaid investments, which totaled approximately $44.0 million for the fiscal year 2015 as compared to $24.8 million for the fiscal year 2014.

The increase in total investment income for the fiscal year 2014 compared to the fiscal year 2013 was due to a larger investment portfolio and interest and dividend income from our investments in structured products, partially offset by a decline in yield. An additional factor contributing to the increase in investment income was higher income from prepayment fees, which totaled approximately $24.8 million and $7.3 million for the fiscal years 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Net Expenses

The increase in expenses for the fiscal year 2015 compared to the fiscal year 2014 was primarily driven by an increase of $10.7 million in interest and other debt related expenses and an increase of $13.5 million in

 

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management and performance-based incentive fees, net of amounts waived. Management and performance-based incentive fees increased primarily due to the increase in the size and net investment income earned on the portfolio. Interest and other debt related costs were higher due to a higher average debt balance, which increased to $1.59 billion during the fiscal year 2015 from $1.24 billion during the fiscal year 2014. The total cost of debt for the fiscal year 2015 declined to 4.98% from 5.52% during the fiscal year 2014 primarily as a result of the utilization of our Senior Secured Credit Facility.

The increase in expenses for the fiscal year 2014 compared to fiscal year 2013 was primarily driven by increased interest and other debt expenses of $10.4 million and $3.6 million of incremental management and performance-based incentive fees (net of amount waived). Interest and other debt costs were higher as a result of a larger average debt balance outstanding during the year coupled with higher average interest costs attributed to the 2042 Notes and 2043 Notes, which were issued in October 2012 and June 2013, respectively.

There were no accrued excise tax expenses for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Net Realized Gains (Losses)

Net realized losses for the fiscal year 2015 were $13.4 million and comprised of $50.3 million of gross realized gains and $63.7 million of gross realized losses. Significant realized gains (losses) for the fiscal year 2015 are summarized below:

 

(in millions)    Net
Realized
Gain (Loss)
 

Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings, Inc.

   $ 11.6   

Walter Energy Inc.

     (26.5

Altegrity, Inc. *

     (17.7

Other (net)

     19.2   
  

 

 

 

Total net realized loss

   $ (13.4
  

 

 

 

Net realized losses for the fiscal year 2014 were $106.5 million and comprised of $165.4 million of gross realized losses and $58.9 million of gross realized gains. Significant realized gains (losses) for the fiscal year 2014 are summarized below:

 

(in millions)    Net
Realized
Gain (Loss)
 

Penton Business Media Holdings, LLC *

   $ 11.5   

ATI Acquisition Company *

     (54.4

Cengage Learning Acquisitions, Inc. *

     (44.6

Texas Competitive Electric Holdings *

     (13.5

Altegrity, Inc.

     (10.2

Other (net)

     4.7   
  

 

 

 

Total net realized loss

   $ (106.5
  

 

 

 

 

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Net realized losses for the fiscal year 2013 were $74.7 million and comprised of $103.0 million of gross realized losses and $28.3 million of gross realized gains. Significant realized gains (losses) for the fiscal year 2013 are summarized below:

 

(in millions)    Net
Realized
Gain (Loss)
 

New Omaha Holdings Co-Invest LP

   $ (42.8

Cengage Learning Acquisitions, Inc.

     (24.0

RBS Holdings Company, LLC

     (10.8

Other (net)

     2.9   
  

 

 

 

Total net realized loss

   $ (74.7
  

 

 

 

 

* The realized gains (losses) incurred upon the exit of these investments reversed out previously reported unrealized gains (losses).

Net Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss)

Net change in unrealized losses for the fiscal year 2015 was $139.2 million and was comprised of $137.1 million of gross unrealized gains and $276.3 million of gross unrealized losses. Significant unrealized gains (losses) for the fiscal year 2015 are summarized below:

 

(in millions)    Net Change in
Unrealized Loss
 

Generation Brands Holdings, Inc. (Quality Homes)

   $ 30.0   

Altegrity, Inc. *

     16.6   

Asset Repackaging Trust Six B.V.

     11.7   

Merx Aviation Finance, LLC

     11.2   

Venoco, Inc. (Denver Parent)

     (35.0

LVI Group Investments, LLC

     (26.9

Magnetation LLC

     (22.1

Molycorp, Inc.

     (20.4

Delta Educational Systems, Inc. (Gryphon Colleges Corp.)

     (14.1

SquareTwo (CA Holdings, Collect America, Ltd.)

     (11.2

First Data Corp.

     (11.2

Aveta, Inc.

     (11.0

PetroBakken Energy Ltd.

     (10.4

Other (net)

     (46.4
  

 

 

 

Total net change in unrealized loss

   $ (139.2
  

 

 

 

 

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Net change in unrealized gains for the fiscal year 2014 was $176.1 million and was comprised of $276.4 million of gross unrealized gains and $100.3 million of gross unrealized losses. Significant unrealized gains (losses) for the fiscal year 2014 are summarized below:

 

(in millions)    Net Change in
Unrealized Gain
 

ATI Acquisition Company *

   $ 53.9   

Cengage Learning Acquisitions Inc. *

     44.3   

PlayPower Holdings Inc.

     17.1   

inVentiv Health, Inc.

     12.9   

Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp.

     12.9   

Texas Competitive Electric Holdings *

     12.0   

BCA Osprey II Limited

     10.6   

Penton Business Media Holdings, LLC *

     (10.8

Other (net)

     23.2   
  

 

 

 

Total net change in unrealized gain

   $ 176.1   
  

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized gains for the fiscal year 2013 was $11.8 million and was comprised of $205.8 million of gross unrealized gains and $194.0 million of gross unrealized gains. Significant unrealized gains (losses) for the fiscal year 2013 are summarized below:

 

(in millions)    Net Change in
Unrealized Gain
 

New Omaha Holdings Co-Invest LP (First Data)

   $ 40.0   

Ceridian Corp.

     16.3   

Penton Business Media Holdings, LLC

     11.1   

AB Acquisitions UK Topco 2 Limited

     10.8   

Cengage Learning Acquisitions, Inc.

     (44.3

Delta Educational Systems, Inc. (Gryphon Colleges Corp.)

     (26.8

Altegrity, Inc.

     (24.6

PlayPower Holdings, Inc.

     (24.5

Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp.

     (22.9

Other (net)

     76.7   
  

 

 

 

Total net change in unrealized gain

   $ 11.8   
  

 

 

 

 

* The unrealized gains (losses) incurred upon the exit of these investments are reported as realized gains (losses).

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See note 2 within the Notes to the Financial Statements.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

The Company’s liquidity and capital resources are generated and generally available through periodic follow-on equity and debt offerings, our senior secured, multi-currency Senior Secured Facility (as defined in note 9 within the Notes to Financial Statements), our senior secured notes, our senior unsecured notes, investments in special purpose entities in which we hold and finance particular investments on a non-recourse basis, as well as from cash flows from operations, investment sales of liquid assets and repayments of senior and subordinated loans and income earned from investments.

 

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Debt

At March 31, 2015 the Company had $385 million in borrowings outstanding on its Senior Secured Facility and $860 million of unused capacity(1). As of March 31, 2015, aggregate lender commitments under the Senior Secured Facility totaled $1.27 billion. The Senior Secured Facility allows the Company to seek additional commitments in the future up to an aggregate facility size not to exceed $1.71 billion. See note 9 and note 10 within the Notes to Financial Statements for information on the Company’s debt and public offerings.

The Company’s debt maturities by period are summarized below.

 

     Payments due by Period as of March 31, 2015
(dollars  in millions)
 
     Total      Less than
1 year
     1-3 years      3-5 years      More than
5 years
 

Senior Secured Facility(1)

   $ 385       $       $       $ 385       $   

Senior Secured Notes

   $ 225       $ 225       $       $       $   

Senior Secured Notes (Series A)

   $ 29       $       $ 29       $       $   

Senior Secured Notes (Series B)

   $ 16       $       $       $ 16       $   

2042 Notes

   $ 150       $       $       $       $ 150   

2043 Notes

   $ 150       $       $       $       $ 150   

2025 Notes

   $ 344       $       $       $       $ 344   

Convertible Notes

   $ 200       $ 200       $       $       $   

 

(1) At March 31, 2015, there was $25 million of letters of credit issued under the Senior Secured Facility that are not recorded as liabilities on the Company’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities, and the Company had $860 million of unused capacity under its Senior Secured Facility.

On April 24, 2015, the Company amended and restated the Senior Secured Facility. The amendment increased the lenders’ commitments to $1,310,000, extended the final maturity date to April 24, 2020, and allows the Company to seek additional commitments from new and existing lenders in the future, up to an aggregate facility size not to exceed $1,965,000. In addition, the stated interest rate on the facility was changed from LIBOR plus 2.00% to a formula-based calculation, based on a minimum borrowing base, resulting in a stated interest rate of either LIBOR plus 1.75%, or LIBOR plus 2.00%. As of May 19, 2015, the stated interest rate on the facility is LIBOR plus 2.00%. Commencing April 30, 2019, the Company is required to repay, in twelve consecutive monthly installments of equal size, the outstanding amount under the Senior Secured Facility as of April 24, 2019.

PIK Interest and Dividends

The Company also has investments in its portfolio that contain PIK provisions. PIK investments offer issuers the option at each payment date of making payments in cash or in additional securities. When additional securities are received, they typically have the same terms, including maturity dates and interest rates, as the original securities issued. On these payment dates, the Company capitalizes the accrued interest or dividends receivable (reflecting such amounts as the basis in the additional securities received). PIK generally becomes due at maturity of the investment or upon the investment being called by the issuer. In order to maintain the Company’s status as a RIC, this non-cash source of income must be paid out to stockholders annually in the form of dividends, even though the Company has not yet collected the cash. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, PIK income totaled $34.1 million, on total investment income of $433.6 million. See note 5 within the Notes to the Financial Statements for more information on the Company’s PIK interest and dividends.

 

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Cash Equivalents

We deem certain U.S. Treasury bills, repurchase agreements and other high-quality, short-term debt securities as cash equivalents. (See note 2 within the accompanying financial statements.) At the end of each fiscal quarter, we consider taking proactive steps utilizing cash equivalents with the objective of enhancing our investment flexibility during the following quarter, pursuant to Section 55 of the 1940 Act. More specifically, we may purchase U.S. Treasury bills from time-to-time on the last business day of the quarter and typically close out that position on the following business day, settling the sale transaction on a net cash basis with the purchase, subsequent to quarter end. Apollo Investment may also utilize repurchase agreements or other balance sheet transactions, including drawing down on our Senior Secured Facility, as we deem appropriate. The amount of these transactions or such drawn cash for this purpose is excluded from total assets for purposes of computing the asset base upon which the management fee is determined. There were no cash equivalents held as of March 31, 2015.

Related Party Transactions

See note 3 within the Notes to the Financial Statements for information on the Company’s related party transactions.

Dividends

Dividends paid to stockholders for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 totaled $189 million or $0.80 per share, $182 million or $0.80 per share, and $162 million or $0.80 per share, respectively. Tax characteristics of all dividends will be reported to stockholders on Form 1099 after the end of the calendar year. Our quarterly dividends, if any, will be determined by our Board of Directors.

The following table summarizes our quarterly dividends paid to stockholders for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively:

 

     Declared
Dividends per
Share
 

Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2015

  

Fourth Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Third Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Second Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

First Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2014

  

Fourth Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Third Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Second Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

First Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2013

  

Fourth Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Third Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

Second Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

First Fiscal Quarter

   $ 0.20   

We have elected to be taxed as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. To maintain our RIC status, we must distribute at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any, out of the assets legally available for distribution. In addition, although we currently intend to distribute realized net capital gains (i.e., net long-term capital gains in excess of short-term

 

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capital losses), if any, at least annually, out of the assets legally available for such distributions, we may in the future decide to retain such capital gains for investment.

We maintain an “opt out” dividend reinvestment plan for our common stockholders. As a result, if we declare a dividend, then stockholders’ cash dividends will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, unless they specifically “opt out” of the dividend reinvestment plan so as to receive cash dividends.

We may not be able to achieve operating results that will allow us to make distributions at a specific level or to increase the amount of these distributions from time to time. In addition, due to the asset coverage test applicable to us as a business development company, we may in the future be limited in our ability to make distributions. Also, our Senior Secured Facility may limit our ability to declare dividends if we default under certain provisions or fail to satisfy certain other conditions. If we do not distribute a certain percentage of our income annually, we may suffer adverse tax consequences, including possible loss of the tax benefits available to us as a regulated investment company. In addition, in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and tax regulations, we include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as contractual payment-in-kind interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance that becomes due at the end of the loan term, or the accrual of original issue or market discount. Since we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may not be able to meet the requirement to distribute at least 90% of our investment company taxable income to obtain tax benefits as a regulated investment company.

With respect to the dividends to stockholders, income from origination, structuring, closing, commitment and other upfront fees associated with investments in portfolio companies is treated as taxable income and accordingly, distributed to stockholders.

Recent Events

On May 18, 2015, the Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.20 per share for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2015, payable on July 6, 2015 to stockholders of record as of June 19, 2015.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk

We are subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, many of the loans in our portfolio had floating interest rates. These loans are usually based on floating LIBOR and typically have durations of one to six months after which they reset to current market interest rates. The Company also has a Senior Secured Facility that is based on floating LIBOR rates.

The following table shows the approximate annual impact on net investment income of base rate changes in interest rates (considering interest rate floors for variable rate instruments) to our loan portfolio and outstanding debt as of March 31, 2015, assuming no changes in our investment and borrowing structure:

 

(in thousands except per share data)

Basis Point Change

   Net Investment
Income
     Net Investment
Income per Share
 

Up 400 basis points

   $ 22,015       $ 0.093   

Up 300 basis points

   $ 13,541       $ 0.057   

Up 200 basis points

   $ 5,691       $ 0.024   

Up 100 basis points

   $ (986    $ (0.004

We may hedge against interest rate fluctuations from time-to-time by using standard hedging instruments such as futures, options and forward contracts subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act and applicable commodities laws. While hedging activities may insulate us against adverse changes in interest rates, they may also limit our ability to participate in the benefits of lower interest rates with respect to our portfolio of investments.

 

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SALES OF COMMON STOCK BELOW NET ASSET VALUE

We submitted to our stockholders, for their approval, a proposal seeking authorization for our ability, in one or more public or private offerings of our common stock, to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below our then current net asset value (“NAV”) per share, subject to certain conditions discussed below. The stockholders voted and approved the proposal at a special meeting of stockholders held on August 5, 2015. The current authorization is effective for a twelve-month period expiring on the anniversary date of such stockholder approval. We intend to seek stockholder approval to continue for an additional year our ability to issue shares of common stock below net asset value, subject to the same conditions.

Conditions to Sales Below NAV. From time to time we may sell shares of our common stock at a price below NAV, exclusive of sales compensation, only if the following conditions are met:

 

   

a majority of our independent directors who have no financial interest in the sale have approved the sale;

 

   

a majority of such directors, who are not interested persons of Apollo Investment, in consultation with the underwriter or underwriters of the offering if it is to be underwritten, have determined in good faith, and as of a time immediately prior to the first solicitation by or on behalf of Apollo Investment of firm commitments to purchase such securities or immediately prior to the sale of such securities, that the price at which such securities are to be sold is not less than a price which closely approximates the market value of those securities, less any underwriting commission or discount; and

 

   

the number of shares sold pursuant to such authority does not exceed 25% of our then outstanding common stock immediately prior to each such sale.

There is no maximum level of discount from NAV at which we may sell shares pursuant to this authority. In making a determination that an offering below NAV per share is in our and our stockholders’ best interests, our board of directors may also consider a variety of factors including:

 

   

The effect that an offering below NAV per share would have on our stockholders, including the potential dilution they would experience as a result of the offering;

 

   

The amount per share by which the offering price per share and the net proceeds per share are less than the most recently determined NAV per share;

 

   

The relationship of recent market prices of common stock to NAV per share and the potential impact of the offering on the market price per share of our common stock;

 

   

Whether the estimated offering price would closely approximate the market value of our shares and would not be below current market price;

 

   

The potential market impact of being able to raise capital in the current financial market;

 

   

The nature of any new investors anticipated to acquire shares in the offering;

 

   

The anticipated rate of return on and quality, type and availability of investments; and

 

   

The leverage available to us.

 

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We will not sell shares under a prospectus supplement to the registration statement or current post-effective amendment thereto of which this prospectus forms a part (the “current registration statement”) if the cumulative dilution to our NAV per share from offerings under the current registration statement exceeds 15%. This limit would be measured separately for each offering pursuant to the current registration statement by calculating the percentage dilution or accretion to aggregate NAV from that offering and then summing the percentage from each offering. For example, if our most recently determined NAV per share at the time of the first offering is $10.00 and we have 140 million shares outstanding, sale of 35 million shares at net proceeds to us of $5.00 per share (a 50% discount) would produce dilution of 10.0%. If we subsequently determined that our NAV per share increased to $11.00 on the then 175 million shares outstanding and then made an additional offering, we could, for example, sell approximately an additional 43.75 million shares at net proceeds to us of $8.25 per share, which would produce dilution of 5.0%, before we would reach the aggregate 15% limit. If we file a new post-effective amendment, the threshold would reset.

Sales by us of our common stock at a discount from NAV pose potential risks for our existing stockholders whether or not they participate in the offering, as well as for new investors who participate in the offering.

The following three headings and accompanying tables will explain and provide hypothetical examples on the impact of an offering at a price less than NAV per share on three different set of investors:

 

   

existing shareholders who do not purchase any shares in the offering.

 

   

existing shareholders who purchase a relatively small amount of shares in the offering or a relatively large amount of shares in the offering.

 

   

new investors who become shareholders by purchasing shares in the offering.

Impact on Existing Stockholders who do not Participate in the Offering

Our existing stockholders who do not participate in an offering below NAV per share or who do not buy additional shares in the secondary market at the same or lower price we obtain in the offering (after expenses and commissions) face the greatest potential risks. These stockholders will experience an immediate decrease (often called dilution) in the NAV of the shares they hold and their NAV per share. These stockholders will also experience a disproportionately greater decrease in their participation in our earnings and assets and their voting power than the increase we will experience in our assets, potential earning power and voting interests due to the offering. These stockholders may also experience a decline in the market price of their shares, which often reflects to some degree announced or potential increases and decreases in NAV per share. This decrease could be more pronounced as the size of the offering and level of discounts increase.

The following table illustrates the level of net asset value dilution that would be experienced by a nonparticipating stockholder in four different hypothetical offerings of different sizes and levels of discount from net asset value per share, although it is not possible to predict the level of market price decline that may occur. Actual sales prices and discounts may differ from the presentation below.

The examples assume that we have 1,000,000 common shares outstanding, $15,000,000 in total assets and $5,000,000 in total liabilities. The current net asset value and net asset value per share are thus $10,000,000 and $10.00. The table illustrates the dilutive effect on a nonparticipating stockholder of (1) an offering of 50,000 shares (5% of the outstanding shares) at $9.50 per share after offering expenses and commission (a 5% discount from net asset value), (2) an offering of 100,000 shares (10% of the outstanding shares) at $9.00 per share after offering expenses and commissions (a 10% discount from net asset value), (3) an offering of 250,000 shares (25% of the outstanding shares) at $7.50 per share after offering expenses and commissions (a 25% discount from net asset value) and (4) an offering of 250,000 shares (25% of the outstanding shares) at par value of $0.001 per share after offering expenses and commissions (effectively a 100% discount from net asset value). We do not currently anticipate offering shares of common stock at a

 

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discount in excess of 25%, which is illustrated in Example 3, although we reserve the right to do so. The 100% column in the following table is the maximum discount at which we may legally offer shares of common stock. It is presented for illustrative purposes only, as it is unlikely our management or Board of Directors would consider offering shares at a discount near such a level.

 

          Example 1
5% Offering
at 5% Discount
    Example 2
10% Offering
at 10% Discount
    Example 3
25% Offering
at 25% Discount
    Example 4
25% Offering
at 100% Discount
 
    Prior to
Sale
Below NAV
    Following
Sale
    %
Change
    Following
Sale
    %
Change
    Following
Sale
    %
Change
    Following
Sale
    %
Change
 

Offering Price

                 

Price per Share to Public

         $ 10.00             $ 9.47             $ 7.89             $ 0.001          

Net Proceeds per Share to Issuer

         $ 9.50             $ 9.00             $ 7.50             $ 0.001          

Decrease to NAV

                 

Total Shares Outstanding

    1,000,000        1,050,000        5.00     1,100,000        10.00     1,250,000        25.00     1,250,000        25.00

NAV per Share

  $ 10.00      $ 9.98        (0.20 )%    $ 9.91        (0.90 )%    $ 9.50        (5.00 )%    $ 8.00        (20.00 )% 

Dilution to Stockholder

                 

Shares Held by Stockholder

    10,000        10,000               10,000               10,000               10,000          

Percentage Held by Stockholder

    1.0     0.95     (4.76 )%      0.91     (9.09 )%      0.80     (20.00 )%      0.80     (20.00 )% 

Total Asset Values

                 

Total NAV Held by Stockholder

  $ 100,000      $ 99,800        (0.20 )%    $ 99,100        (0.90 )%    $ 95,000        (5.00 )%    $ 80,000        (20.00 )% 

Total Investment by Stockholder (Assumed to be $10.00 per Share)

  $ 100,000      $ 100,000             $ 100,000             $ 100,000             $ 100,000          

Total Dilution to Stockholder (Total NAV Less Total Investment)

         $ (200          $ (900          $ (5,000          $ (20,000       

Per Share Amounts

                 

NAV Per Share Held by Stockholder

         $ 9.98             $ 9.91             $ 9.50             $ 8.00          

Investment per Share Held by Stockholder (Assumed to be $10.00 per Share on Shares Held prior to Sale)

  $ 10.00      $ 10.00             $ 10.00             $ 10.00             $ 10.00          

Dilution per Share Held by Stockholder (NAV per Share Less Investment per Share)

         $ (0.02          $ (0.09          $ (0.50          $ (2.00       

Percentage Dilution to Stockholder (Dilution per Share Divided by Investment per Share)

                  (0.20 )%             (0.90 )%             (5.00 %)             (20.00 )% 

Impact on Existing Stockholders who do Participate in the Offering

Our existing stockholders who participate in an offering below NAV per share or who buy additional shares in the secondary market at the same or lower price as we obtain in the offering (after expenses and commissions) will experience the same types of NAV dilution as the nonparticipating stockholders, albeit at a lower level, to the extent they purchase less than the same percentage of the discounted offering as their interest in our shares immediately prior to the offering. The level of NAV dilution will decrease as the number of shares such stockholders purchase increases. Existing stockholders who buy more than such percentage will experience NAV dilution but will, in contrast to existing stockholders who purchase less than their proportionate share of the offering, experience an increase (often called accretion) in NAV per share over their investment per share and will also experience a disproportionately greater increase in their participation in our earnings and assets and their voting power than our increase in assets, potential earning power and voting interests due to the offering. The level of accretion will increase as the excess number of shares such stockholder purchases increases. Even a stockholder who over-participates will, however, be subject to the risk that we may make additional discounted offerings in which such stockholder does not participate, in which case such a stockholder will experience NAV dilution as described above in such subsequent offerings. These stockholders may also experience a decline in the market price

 

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of their shares, which often reflects to some degree announced or potential increases and decreases in NAV per share. This decrease could be more pronounced as the size of the offering and level of discount to NAV increases.

The following chart illustrates the level of dilution and accretion in the hypothetical 25% discount offering from the prior chart for a stockholder that acquires shares equal to (1) 50% of its proportionate share of the offering (i.e., 1,250 shares, which is 0.50% of the offering 250,000 shares rather than its 1.00% proportionate share) and (2) 150% of such percentage (i.e., 3,750 shares, which is 1.50% of an offering of 250,000 shares rather than its 1.00% proportionate share). The prospectus supplement pursuant to which any discounted offering is made will include a chart for this example based on the actual number of shares in such offering and the actual discount from the most recently determined NAV per share.

 

           50% Participation     150% Participation  
     Prior to
Sale
Below
NAV
    Following
Sale
    %
Change
    Following
Sale
    %
Change
 

Offering Price

          

Price per Share to Public

          $ 7.89             $ 7.89          

Net Proceeds per Share to Issuer

          $ 7.50             $ 7.50          

Increases in Shares and Decrease to NAV

          

Total Shares Outstanding

     1,000,000        1,250,000        25.00     1,250,000        25.00

NAV per Share

   $ 10.00      $ 9.50        (5.00 )%    $ 9.50        (5.00 )% 

Dilution/Accretion to Stockholder

          

Shares Held by Stockholder

     10,000        11,250        12.50     13,750        37.50

Percentage Held by Stockholder

     1.0     0.90     (10.00 )%      1.10     10.00

Total Asset Values

          

Total NAV Held by Stockholder

   $ 100,000      $ 106,875        6.88   $ 130,625        30.63

Total Investment by Stockholder (Assumed to be $10.00 per Share on Shares Held prior to Sale)

   $ 100,000      $ 109,863        9.86   $ 129,588        29.59

Total Dilution/Accretion to Stockholder (Total NAV Less Total Investment)

          $ (2,988          $ 1,038          

Per Share Amounts

          

NAV Per Share Held by Stockholder

          $ 9.50             $ 9.50          

Investment per Share Held by Stockholder (Assumed to be $10.00 per Share on Shares Held prior to Sale)

   $ 10.00      $ 9.77        (2.30 )%    $ 9.42        (5.80 )% 

Dilution/Accretion per Share Held by Stockholder (NAV per Share Less Investment per Share)

          $ (0.27          $ 0.08          

Percentage Dilution/Accretion to Stockholder (Dilution/Accretion per Share Divided by Investment per Share)

                   (2.76 )%             0.85

Impact on New Investors

Investors who are not currently stockholders, but who participate in an offering below NAV and whose investment per share is greater than the resulting NAV per share (due to selling compensation and expenses paid by us) will experience an immediate decrease, albeit small, in the NAV of their shares and their NAV per share compared to the price they pay for their shares. Investors who are not currently stockholders and who participate in an offering below NAV per share and whose investment per share is also less than the resulting NAV per share due to selling compensation and expenses paid by the issuer being significantly less than the discount per share will experience an immediate increase in the NAV of their shares and their NAV per share compared to the price they pay for their shares. These investors will experience a disproportionately greater participation in our

 

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earnings and assets and their voting power than our increase in assets, potential earning power and voting interests. These investors will, however, be subject to the risk that we may make additional discounted offerings in which such new stockholder does not participate, in which case such new stockholder will experience dilution as described above in such subsequent offerings. These investors may also experience a decline in the market price of their shares, which often reflects to some degree announced or potential increases and decreases in NAV per share. This decrease could be more pronounced as the size of the offering and level of discounts increases.

The following chart illustrates the level of dilution or accretion for new investors that would be experienced by a new investor in the same 5%, 10%, 25% and 100% discounted offerings as described in the first chart above. The illustration is for a new investor who purchases the same percentage (1.00%) of the shares in the offering as the stockholder in the prior examples held immediately prior to the offering. The prospectus supplement pursuant to which any discounted offering is made will include a chart for this example based on the actual number of shares in such offering and the actual discount from the most recently determined NAV per share.

 

          Example 1
5% Offering
at 5% Discount
    Example 2
10% Offering
at 10% Discount
    Example 3
25% Offering
at 25% Discount
    Example 4
25% Offering
at 100% Discount
 
    Prior to
Sale
Below
NAV
    Following
Sale
    %
Change
    Following
Sale
    %
Change
    Following
Sale
    %
Change
    Following
Sale
    %
Change
 

Offering Price

                 

Price per Share to Public

         $ 10.00             $ 9.47             $ 7.89             $ 0.001          

Net Proceeds per Share to Issuer

         $ 9.50             $ 9.00             $ 7.50             $ 0.001          

Decrease to NAV

                 

Total Shares Outstanding

    1,000,000        1,050,000        5.00     1,100,000        10.00     1,250,000        25.00     1,250,000        25.00

NAV per Share

  $ 10.00      $ 9.98        (0.20 )%    $ 9.91        (0.90 )%    $ 9.50        (5.00 )%    $ 8.00        (20.00 )% 

Dilution/Accretion to Stockholder

                 

Shares Held by Stockholder

           500               1,000               2,500               2,500          

Percentage Held by Stockholder

    0.0     0.05            0.09            0.20            0.20       

Total Asset Values

                 

Total NAV Held by Stockholder

         $ 4,990             $ 9,910             $ 23,750             $ 20,000          

Total Investment by Stockholder

         $ 5,000             $ 9,470             $ 19,725             $ 2.50          

Total Dilution/ Accretion to Stockholder (Total NAV Less Total Investment)

         $ (10          $ 440             $ 4,025             $ 19,997.50          

Per Share Amounts

                 

NAV Per Share Held by Stockholder

         $ 9.98             $ 9.91             $ 9.50             $ 8.00          

Investment per Share Held by Stockholder

         $ 10.00             $ 9.47             $ 7.89             $ 0.001          

Dilution/Accretion per Share Held by Stockholder (NAV per Share Less Investment per Share)

         $ (0.02          $ 0.44             $ 1.61             $ 8.00          

Percentage Dilution/ Accretion to Stockholder (Dilution/Accretion per Share Divided by Investment per Share)

                  (0.20 )%             4.65            20.41              

 

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PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK

Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “AINV.” The following table lists the high and low closing sale price for our common stock, the closing sale price as a premium (discount) to net asset value, or NAV, and quarterly distributions per share for the past two fiscal years and each full quarter since the beginning of the current fiscal year. The last reported closing sales price of our common stock on January 15, 2016 was $5.00 per share. As of January 14, 2016, we had 82 stockholders of record. While our common stock has from time to time traded in excess of our net asset value, there can be no assurance, however, that it will trade at such a premium (to net asset value) in the future.

 

            Closing Sales
Price
     Premium or
Discount of
High Sales
Price to
NAV (2)
    Premium or
Discount of
Low Sales
Price to
NAV (2)
    Declared
Distribution
 
     NAV (1)      High      Low         

Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2016

               

Third Fiscal Quarter

   $ **       $ 6.35       $ 4.92         **     * *%    $ *   

Second Fiscal Quarter

   $ 7.83       $ 7.23       $ 5.40         (7.66 )%      (31.03 )%    $ 0.20   

First Fiscal Quarter

   $ 8.01       $ 8.03       $ 7.07         0.25     (11.74 )%    $ 0.20   

Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2015

               

Fourth Fiscal Quarter

   $ 8.18       $ 7.88       $ 7.10         (3.67 )%      (13.20 )%    $ 0.20   

Third Fiscal Quarter

   $ 8.43       $ 8.36       $ 7.20         (0.83 )%      (14.59 )%    $ 0.20   

Second Fiscal Quarter

   $ 8.72       $ 8.83       $ 8.17         1.26  %      (6.31 )%    $ 0.20   

First Fiscal Quarter

   $ 8.74       $ 8.61       $ 7.89         (1.49 )%      (9.73 )%    $ 0.20   

Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2014

               

Fourth Fiscal Quarter

   $ 8.67       $ 9.15       $ 8.14         5.53  %      (6.11 )%    $ 0.20   

Third Fiscal Quarter

   $ 8.57       $ 9.02       $ 8.05         5.25  %      (6.07 )%    $ 0.20   

Second Fiscal Quarter

   $ 8.30       $ 8.47       $ 7.77         2.04  %      (6.38 )%    $ 0.20   

First Fiscal Quarter

   $ 8.16       $ 8.87       $ 7.37         8.70  %      (9.68 )%    $ 0.20   

 

(1) NAV per share is determined as of the last day in the relevant quarter and therefore may not reflect the NAV per share on the date of the high and low sales prices. The NAVs shown are based on outstanding shares at the end of each period.

 

(2) Calculated as of the respective high or low closing sales price divided by the quarter end NAV.

 

* Distribution not yet declared.
** NAV not yet determined.

 

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BUSINESS

Apollo Investment

Apollo Investment Corporation (“Apollo Investment,” “Company,” “AIC,” “we,” “us,” and “our”), a Maryland corporation organized on February 2, 2004, is a closed-end, externally managed, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”). In addition, for tax purposes we have elected to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”), under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

Our investment objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation. We invest primarily in various forms of debt investments including secured and unsecured debt, loan investments and/or equity in private middle-market companies. We may also invest in the securities of public companies and structured products such as collateralized loan obligations and credit-linked notes. These structured products are typically a form a securitization in which the cash flows of a portfolio of loans are pooled and passed on to different classes of owners in various tranches.

Our portfolio is comprised primarily of investments in debt, including secured and unsecured debt of private middle-market companies that, in the case of senior secured loans, generally are not broadly syndicated and whose aggregate tranche size is less than $250 million. Our portfolio also includes equity interests such as common stock, preferred stock, warrants or options. In this prospectus, we use the term “middle-market” to refer to companies with annual revenues between $50 million and $2 billion. While our investment objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation through investments in U.S. secured and unsecured loans, other debt securities and equity, we may also invest a portion of the portfolio in other investment opportunities, including foreign securities and structured products. Most of the debt instruments we invest in are unrated or rated below investment grade, which is often an indication of size, credit worthiness and speculative nature relative to the capacity of the borrower to pay interest and principal.

Apollo Investment Management, L.P. (“AIM”) is our investment adviser and an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries (“AGM”). AGM and other affiliates manage other funds that may have investment mandates that are similar, in whole or in part, with ours. AIM and its affiliates may determine that an investment is appropriate both for us and for one or more of those other funds. In such event, depending on the availability of such investment and other appropriate factors, AIM may determine that we should invest on a side-by-side basis with one or more other funds. We make all such investments subject to compliance with applicable regulations and interpretations, and our allocation procedures. In certain circumstances negotiated co-investments may be made only if we receive an order from the SEC permitting us to do so. There can be no assurance that any such order will be obtained.

During our fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, we invested $2.2 billion across 60 new and 47 existing portfolio companies through a combination of primary and secondary debt investments. This compares to $2.8 billion across 81 new and 50 existing portfolio companies for the previous fiscal year ended March 31, 2014. Investments sold or repaid during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 totaled $2.3 billion versus $2.3 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014. The weighted average yields on our secured debt portfolio, unsecured debt portfolio and total debt portfolio as of March 31, 2015 at our current cost basis were 11.2%, 10.9% and 11.2%, respectively. At March 31, 2014, the yields were 10.8%, 11.5% and 11.1%, respectively. The portfolio yields may be higher than an investor’s yield on an investment in us due to sales load and other expenses. For the year ended March 31, 2015, the total return based on the change in market price per share and taking into account dividends and distributions, if any, reinvested in accordance with the dividend reinvestment plan was 1.9% versus 9.4% for the year ended March 31, 2014. Such returns do not reflect any sales load that stockholders may have paid in connection with their purchase of shares of our common stock.

 

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At March 31, 2015, our portfolio consisted of 105 portfolio companies and was invested 60% in secured debt, 14% in unsecured debt, 11% in structured products and other, 5% in preferred equity and 10% in common equity and warrants measured at fair value versus 111 portfolio companies invested 56% in secured debt, 27% in unsecured debt, 6% in structured products and other, 3% in preferred equity and 8% in common equity and warrants at March 31, 2014.

Since the initial public offering of Apollo Investment in April 2004 and through March 31, 2015, invested capital totaled $15.4 billion in 350 portfolio companies. Over the same period, Apollo Investment completed transactions with more than 100 different financial sponsors.

At March 31, 2015, 48% or $1.3 billion of our income-bearing investment portfolio is fixed rate debt and 52% or $1.4 billion is floating rate debt, measured at fair value. On a cost basis, 50% or $1.4 billion of our income-bearing investment portfolio is fixed rate debt and 50% or $1.4 billion is floating rate debt. At March 31, 2014, 58% or $1.7 billion of our income-bearing investment portfolio was fixed rate debt and 42% or $1.3 billion was floating rate debt, measured at fair value. On a cost basis, 58% or $1.7 billion of our income-bearing investment portfolio was fixed rate debt and 42% or $1.2 billion was floating rate debt.

About Apollo Investment Management

AIM, our investment adviser, is led by John Hannan, James Zelter and Edward Goldthorpe. Potential investment and disposition opportunities are generally approved by one or more committees composed of personnel across AGM, including Mr. Zelter and Mr. Goldthorpe, and/or Mr. Zelter or Mr. Goldthorpe depending on the underlying investment type and/or the amount of such investment. The composition of such committees and the overall approval process for Apollo Investment’s investments may change from time to time. AIM draws upon AGM’s more than 25 year history and benefits from the broader firm’s significant capital markets, trading and research expertise developed through investments in many core sectors in over 200 companies since inception.

About Apollo Investment Administration

In addition to furnishing us with office facilities, equipment, and clerical, bookkeeping and record keeping services, AIA, an affiliate of AGM, also oversees our financial records as well as prepares our reports to stockholders and reports filed with the SEC. AIA also performs the calculation and publication of our net asset value, the payment of our expenses and oversees the performance of various third-party service providers and the preparation and filing of our tax returns. Furthermore, AIA provides on our behalf managerial assistance to those portfolio companies to which we are required to provide such assistance.

Operating and Regulatory Structure

Our investment activities are managed by AIM and supervised by our board of directors, a majority of whom are independent of AGM and its affiliates. AIM is an investment adviser that is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, or the Advisers Act. Under our investment advisory and management agreement, we pay AIM an annual base management fee based on our average gross assets as well as an incentive fee. See “Management—Investment Advisory and Management Agreement.”

As a BDC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. Also, while we are permitted to finance investments using debt, our ability to use debt is limited in certain significant respects. See “Regulation.” We have elected to be treated for federal income tax purposes as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. For more information, see “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

Investments

We seek to create a portfolio that includes primarily debt investments including secured loans and unsecured loans and, to a lesser extent, equity investments by investing, on an individual portfolio company

 

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basis, approximately $20 million to $250 million of capital, on average, in the securities of middle-market companies, as well as structured products such as collateralized loan obligations. The average investment size will vary as the size of our capital base varies. Our target portfolio consists primarily of long-term secured debt, as well as unsecured and mezzanine positions of private middle-market companies. Structurally, unsecured and mezzanine debt usually ranks subordinate in priority of payment to senior debt, such as bank debt, and is characterized as unsecured. As such, other creditors may rank senior to us in the event of an insolvency. However, unsecured and mezzanine debt ranks senior to common and preferred equity in a borrowers’ capital structure. Unsecured and mezzanine debt may have a fixed or floating interest rate. Additional income can be generated from upfront fees, call protection including call premiums, equity co-investments or warrants. We may also invest in debt and equity positions of structured products, such as collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and credit-linked notes (“CLNs”). A CLO is a form of securitization in which the cash flows of a portfolio of loans are pooled and passed on to different classes of owners in various tranches. A CLN is a note where the payment of principal and/or interest is based on the performance of one or more debt obligations. CLNs are not securitizations.

Our principal focus is to provide capital to middle-market companies in a variety of industries. We generally seek to target companies that generate positive free cash flows or that may support debt investments with strong asset coverage, and we may provide debtor-in-possession or reserve financing. Additionally we may acquire investments in the secondary market if we believe the risk-adjusted returns are attractive.

The following is a representative list of the industries in which we have invested:

 

•    Aerospace and Defense

 

•    Aviation

 

•    Broadcasting & Entertainment

 

•    Buildings and Real Estate

 

•    Business Services

 

•    Cable Television

 

•    Cargo Transport

 

•    Chemicals

 

•    Consumer Products

  

•    Containers, Packaging and Glass

 

•    Distribution

 

•    Diversified Investment Vehicle

 

•    Diversified Natural Resources, Precious Metals and Minerals

 

•    Diversified Service

 

•    Education

 

•    Electronics

 

•    Energy

  

•    Environmental Services

 

•    Finance

 

•    Financial Services

 

•    Grocery

 

•    Healthcare

 

•    Home and Office Furnishings and Durable Consumer Products

 

•    Hotels, Motels, Inns and Gaming

 

•    Insurance

  

•    Leisure

 

•    Media

 

•    Mining

 

•    Oil and Gas

 

•    Packing

 

•    Printing and Publishing

 

•    Restaurants

 

•    Telecommunications

 

•    Transportation

 

•    Utilities

We may also invest in other industries if we are presented with attractive opportunities. In an effort to increase our returns and the number of investments that we can make, we may in the future seek to securitize our debt investments. To the extent we elect to include higher quality portfolio holdings in the securitization vehicle and retain lower quality holdings in our portfolio, investing in our shares may be riskier. To securitize debt investments, we may create a wholly owned subsidiary and contribute a pool of loans to the subsidiary. We may sell debt of or interests in the subsidiary on a non-recourse basis to purchasers whom we would expect to be willing to accept a lower interest rate to invest in investment-grade securities. We may use the proceeds of such sales to reduce indebtedness or to fund additional investments. We may also invest through special purpose entities or other arrangements, including total return swaps and repurchase agreements, in order to obtain non-recourse financing or for other purposes.

 

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We may invest, to the extent permitted by law, in the securities and instruments of other investment companies and in private funds. We may also co-invest on a concurrent basis with affiliates of ours, subject to compliance with applicable regulations and our allocation procedures. Certain types of negotiated co-investments may be made only if we receive an order from the SEC permitting us to do so. There can be no assurance that any such order will be obtained.

At March 31, 2015, our portfolio consisted of 105 portfolio companies and was invested 60% in secured debt, 14% in unsecured debt, 11% in structured products and other, 5% in preferred equity and 10% in common equity and warrants measured at fair value.

Listed below are our top ten portfolio companies and industries based on their fair value and represented as a percentage of the portfolio as of March 31, 2015 and 2014, measured at fair value:

TOP TEN PORTFOLIO COMPANIES AND INDUSTRIES AS OF MARCH 31, 2015

 

PORTFOLIO COMPANY

  % of Portfolio    

INDUSTRY

  % of Portfolio  

Merx Aviation Finance, LLC

    15.4   Business Services     15.6

U.S. Security Associates Holdings, Inc.

    4.1   Aviation     15.4

PlayPower Holdings, Inc.

    3.4   Oil and Gas     13.9

Miller Energy Resources, Inc.

    2.5   Diversified Investment Vehicle     9.6

Spotted Hawk Development, LLC

    2.4   Financial Services     4.0

Golden Hill CLO I, LLC

    2.2   Chemicals     3.8

Maxus Capital Carbon SPE I, LLC

    2.2   Leisure     3.4

AMP Solar (UK) Limited

    1.9   Utilities     3.0

Skyline Data, News and Analytics LLC (Dodge Data & Analytics LLC)

    1.9   Aerospace and Defense     2.9

My Alarm Center, LLC

    1.8   Distribution     2.9

TOP TEN PORTFOLIO COMPANIES AND INDUSTRIES AS OF MARCH 31, 2014

 

PORTFOLIO COMPANY

  % of Portfolio    

INDUSTRY

  % of Portfolio  

Merx Aviation Finance Holdings II, LLC

    12.2   Business Services     14.6

U.S. Security Associates Holdings, Inc.

    4.0   Aviation     12.2

Playpower Holdings, Inc.

    3.0   Oil and Gas     11.8

inVentiv Health, Inc.

    2.8   Financial Services     7.4

Kronos, Inc.

    2.8   Healthcare     6.6

First Data Corp.

    2.7   Diversified Investment Vehicle     5.5

Asurion Corporation

    2.7   Distribution     4.9

Ceridian Corp.

    2.6   Chemicals     4.2

Miller Energy Resources, Inc.

    2.5   Diversified Service     3.7

Accelerate Parent Corp. (American Tire)

    2.1   Insurance     3.5

Listed below is the geographic breakdown of the portfolio based on fair value as of March 31, 2015 and 2014:

 

Geographic Region

   % of Portfolio
at March 31, 2015
   

Geographic Region

   % of Portfolio
at March 31, 2014
 

United States

     89.8   United States      92.8

Western Europe

     7.3   Western Europe      5.3

Cayman Islands

     1.9   Cayman Islands      1.3

Australia

     1.0  

Australia

     0.6
  

 

 

      

 

 

 
     100.0        100.0
  

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

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Investment Selection & Due Diligence

We are committed to a value oriented philosophy of, among other things, capital preservation and commit resources to managing risks associated with our investment portfolio. Our investment adviser conducts due diligence on prospective portfolio companies. In conducting its due diligence, our investment adviser uses information provided by the company and its management team, publicly available information, as well as information from their extensive relationships with former and current management teams, consultants, competitors and investment bankers and the direct experience of the senior partners of our affiliates.

Our investment adviser’s due diligence will typically include:

 

   

review of historical and prospective financial information;

 

   

on-site visits;

 

   

interviews with management, employees, customers and vendors of the potential portfolio company;

 

   

review of loan documents;

 

   

background checks; and

 

   

research relating to the company’s management, industry, markets, products and services, and competitors.

Upon the completion of due diligence and a decision to seek approval for an investment in a company, the professionals leading the proposed investment generally present the investment opportunity to and seek approval in accordance with our investment approval process. Additional due diligence with respect to any investment may be conducted on our behalf by attorneys and accountants prior to the closing of the investment, as well as other outside advisers, as appropriate.

Prospective portfolio company characteristics

We have identified several criteria that we believe are important in identifying and investing in prospective portfolio companies. These criteria provide general guidelines for our investment decisions; however, we caution you that not all of these criteria will be met by each prospective portfolio company in which we choose to invest. Generally, we seek to utilize our access to information generated by our investment professionals to identify investment candidates and to structure investments quickly and effectively.

Value orientation/positive cash flow

Our investment philosophy places a premium on fundamental analysis from an investor’s perspective and has a distinct value orientation. We focus on companies in which we can invest at relatively low multiples of operating cash flow and that are profitable at the time of investment on an operating cash flow basis. Typically, we do not expect to invest in start-up companies or companies having speculative business plans.

Experienced management

We generally seek to invest in portfolio companies that have experienced management teams. We also require the portfolio companies to have in place proper incentives to induce management to succeed and to act in concert with our interests as investors, including having significant equity interests.

 

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Strong competitive position in industry

We seek to invest in target companies that have developed leading market positions within their respective markets, have established businesses and are well positioned to capitalize on growth opportunities. We seek companies that demonstrate significant competitive advantages versus their competitors, which should help to protect their market position and profitability.

Exit strategy

We seek to invest in companies that we believe will provide a steady stream of cash flow to repay our loans. We expect that such internally generated cash flow, leading to the payment of interest on, and the repayment of the principal of, our investments in portfolio companies to be a key means by which we exit from our investments over time. In addition, we seek to invest in companies whose business models and expected future cash flows offer attractive exit possibilities. These companies include candidates for strategic acquisition by other industry participants and companies that may repay our investments through an initial public offering of common stock or another capital market transaction.

Liquidation value of assets

The prospective liquidation value of the assets, if any, collateralizing loans in which we invest is an important factor in our credit analysis. We emphasize both tangible assets, such as accounts receivable, inventory, equipment and real estate, and intangible assets, such as intellectual property, customer lists, networks and databases.

The investment approval process

Potential investment and disposition opportunities are generally approved by one or more committees composed of personnel across AGM, including Mr. Zelter and Mr. Goldthorpe, and/or Mr. Zelter or Mr. Goldthorpe depending on the underlying investment type and/or the amount of such investment. AGM personnel approving our investments do not receive compensation from us for such services.

Investment structure

Once we have determined that a prospective portfolio company is suitable for investment, we work with the management of that company and its other capital providers, including senior, junior and equity capital providers, to structure an investment.

We generally seek to structure our investments as secured loans with a direct lien on the assets or cash flows of the company that provide for increased downside protection in the event of insolvency while maintaining attractive risk-adjusted returns and current interest income. We generally seek for these secured loans to obtain security interests in the assets of our portfolio companies that serve as collateral in support of the repayment of these loans. This collateral may take the form of first or second priority liens on the assets of a portfolio company. In some cases, we may enter into debt investments that, by their terms, convert into equity or additional debt securities or defer payments (PIK) of interest after our investment. Also, in some cases our debt investments may be collateralized by a subordinated lien on some or all of the assets of the borrower. Typically, our loans have maturities of three to ten years.

We seek to tailor the terms of our investments to the facts and circumstances of the transaction and the prospective portfolio company, negotiating a structure that protects our rights and manages our risk while creating incentives for the portfolio company to achieve its business plan and improve its profitability. For

 

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example, in addition to seeking a senior position in the capital structure of our portfolio companies, we seek to limit the downside potential of our investments by:

 

   

requiring an expected total return on our investments (including both interest and potential equity appreciation) that compensates us for credit risk;

 

   

generally incorporating call protection into the investment structure where possible; and

 

   

negotiating covenants and information rights in connection with our investments that afford our portfolio companies flexibility in managing their businesses, but which are still consistent with our goal of preserving our capital. Such restrictions may include affirmative and negative covenants, default penalties, lien protection, change of control provisions and board rights, including either observation or participation rights. Our investments may include equity features, such as warrants or options to buy a minority interest in the portfolio company. Any warrants we receive with our debt securities generally require only a nominal cost to exercise, and thus, as a portfolio company appreciates in value, we may achieve additional investment return from this equity interest. We may structure the warrants to provide provisions protecting our rights as a minority-interest holder, as well as puts, or rights to sell such securities back to the company, upon the occurrence of specified events. In many cases, we may also seek to obtain registration rights in connection with these equity interests, which may include demand and “piggyback” registration rights.

We expect to hold most of our investments to maturity or repayment, but we may sell certain of our investments sooner if a liquidity event takes place such as a sale or recapitalization or worsening of credit quality of a portfolio company, among other reasons.

Ongoing relationships with portfolio companies

Monitoring

AIM monitors our portfolio companies on an ongoing basis and also monitors the financial trends of each portfolio company to determine if each is meeting its respective business plans and to assess the appropriate course of action for each company. In addition, senior investment professionals of AIM may take board seats or obtain board observation rights for our portfolio companies.

AIM has several methods of evaluating and monitoring the performance and fair value of our investments, which can include, but are not limited to, the assessment of success of the portfolio company in adhering to its business plan and compliance with covenants; periodic and regular contact with portfolio company management and, if appropriate, the financial or strategic sponsor, to discuss financial position, requirements and accomplishments; comparisons to other portfolio companies in the industry; attendance at and participation in board meetings; and review of monthly and quarterly financial statements and financial projections for portfolio companies.

AIM also uses an investment rating system to characterize and monitor our expected level of returns on each investment in our portfolio. These ratings are just one of several factors that AIM uses to monitor our portfolio, are not in and of themselves determinative of fair value or revenue recognition and are presented for indicative purposes. AIM grades the credit risk of all investments on a scale of 1 to 5 no less frequently than quarterly. This system is intended primarily to reflect the underlying risk of a portfolio investment relative to our initial cost basis in respect of such portfolio investment (i.e., at the time of acquisition), although it may also take into account under certain circumstances the performance of the portfolio company’s business, the collateral coverage of the investment and other relevant factors.

Under this system, investments with a grade of 1 involve the least amount of risk to our initial cost basis. The trends and risk factors for this investment since origination or acquisition are generally favorable,

 

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which may include the performance of the portfolio company or a potential exit. Investments graded 2 involve a level of risk to our initial cost basis that is similar to the level of risk underwritten at the time of origination or acquisition. This portfolio company is generally performing in accordance with our analysis of its business and the full return of principal and interest or dividend is expected. Investments graded 3 indicate that the risk to our ability to recoup the cost of such investment has increased since origination or acquisition, but full return of principal and interest or dividend is expected. A portfolio company with an investment grade of 3 requires closer monitoring. Investments graded 4 indicate that the risk to our ability to recoup the cost of such investment has increased significantly since origination or acquisition, including as a result of factors such as declining performance and noncompliance with debt covenants, and we expect some loss of interest, dividend or capital appreciation, but still expect an overall positive internal rate of return on the investment. Investments graded 5 indicate that the risk to our ability to recoup the cost of such investment has increased materially since origination or acquisition and the portfolio company likely has materially declining performance. Loss of interest or dividend and some loss of principal investment is expected, which would result in an overall negative internal rate of return on the investment. For investments graded 4 or 5, AIM enhances its level of scrutiny over the monitoring of such portfolio company.

AIM monitors and, when appropriate, changes the investment ratings assigned to each investment in our portfolio. In connection with our valuation process, AIM reviews these investment ratings on a quarterly basis, and our audit committee monitors such ratings. It is possible that the grade of certain of these portfolio investments may be reduced or increased over time.

Managerial Assistance

As a BDC, we must offer, and must provide upon request, significant managerial assistance to certain of our portfolio companies. This assistance could involve, among other things, monitoring the operations of our portfolio companies, participating in board and management meetings, consulting with and advising officers of portfolio companies and providing other organizational and financial guidance. We may receive fees for these services.

Valuation Process

The following is a description of the steps we take each quarter to determine the value of our portfolio. Our portfolio of investments is recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our board of directors pursuant to a written valuation policy and a consistently applied valuation process utilizing the input of our investment adviser, independent valuation firms, third party pricing services and the audit committee. Since this process necessarily involves the use of judgment and the engagement of independent valuation firms, there is no certainty as to the value of our portfolio investments. Investments for which market quotations are readily available are recorded in our financial statements at such market quotations if they are deemed to represent fair value. Market quotations may be deemed not to represent fair value where AIM believes that facts and circumstances applicable to an issuer, a seller or purchaser or the market for a particular security causes current market quotes not to reflect the fair value of the security, among other reasons. Examples of these events could include cases in which material events are announced after the close of the market on which a security is primarily traded, when a security trades infrequently causing a quoted purchase or sale price to become stale or in the event of a “fire sale” by a distressed seller.

With respect to investments for which market quotations are not readily available or when such market quotations are deemed not to represent fair value, our board of directors has approved a multi-step valuation process each quarter, as described below:

(1) our quarterly valuation process begins with each portfolio company or investment being initially valued by the investment professionals of our investment adviser responsible for the portfolio investment;

 

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(2) preliminary valuation conclusions are then documented and discussed with senior management of our investment adviser;

(3) independent valuation firms are engaged by our board of directors to conduct independent appraisals by reviewing our investment adviser’s preliminary valuations and then making their own independent assessment;

(4) the audit committee of the board of directors reviews the preliminary valuation of our investment adviser and the valuation prepared by the independent valuation firm and responds to the valuation recommendation of the independent valuation firm to reflect any comments; and

(5) the board of directors discusses valuations and determines in good faith the fair value of each investment in our portfolio based on the input of our investment adviser, the applicable independent valuation firm, third party pricing services and the audit committee.

In addition, some of our investments provide for PIK interest or dividends. Such amounts of accrued PIK interest or dividends are added to the cost of the investment on the respective capitalization dates and generally become due at maturity of the investment or upon the investment being called by the issuer. Upon capitalization, PIK is subject to the fair value estimates associated with their related investments.

Competition

Our primary competitors in providing financing to middle-market companies include public and private funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial financing companies, other BDCs or hedge funds, and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity funds. Some of our existing and potential competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more relationships than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC or the restrictions that the Code imposes on us as a RIC. We also expect to use the industry information of AGM’s investment professionals to which we have access to assess investment risks and determine appropriate pricing for our investments in portfolio companies. In addition, we believe that the relationships of the senior managers of AIM and those of our affiliates enable us to learn about, and compete effectively for, financing opportunities with attractive middle-market companies in the industries in which we seek to invest.

Staffing

Apollo Investment has no employees. All of the services we utilize are provided by third parties. Our chief financial officer and chief compliance officer and additional personnel assisting them in such functions are employees of AIA and perform their respective functions under the terms of the administration agreement with AIA. Certain of our other executive officers are managing partners of our investment adviser. Our day-to-day investment operations are managed by our investment adviser, which draws on the broader capabilities of the Opportunistic Credit segment of AGM’s credit business. In addition, we generally reimburse AIA for our allocable portion of expenses incurred by it in performing its obligations under the administration agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the cost of our chief financial officer, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary and their respective staffs.

Properties

As of March 31, 2015, we do not own any real estate or other physical properties materially important to our operation. Our administrative and principal executive offices are located at 730 Fifth Avenue, New York,

 

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NY 10019 and 9 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, respectively. We believe that our office facilities are suitable and adequate for our business as it is contemplated to be conducted.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we may become involved in various investigations, claims and legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business. Furthermore, third parties may try to seek to impose liability on us in connection with the activities of our portfolio companies. While we do not expect that the resolution of these matters if they arise would materially affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, resolution will be subject to various uncertainties and could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources.

On May 20, 2013, we were named as a defendant in a complaint by the bankruptcy trustee of DSI Renal Holdings and related companies (“DSI”). The complaint alleges, among other things, that Apollo Investment participated in a “fraudulent conveyance” involving a restructuring and subsequent sale of DSI in 2010 and 2011. The complaint seeks, jointly and severally from all defendants, (1) damages of approximately $425 million, of which Apollo Investment’s share would be approximately $41 million, and the return of 9,000 shares of common stock of DSI obtained by Apollo Investment in the restructuring and sale and (2) punitive damages. At this point in time, we are unable to assess whether we may have any liability in this action. We have not made any determination that this action is or may be material to us and we intend to vigorously defend our self. We have filed a motion to dismiss this litigation.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 imposes a wide variety of regulatory requirements on publicly-held companies and their insiders. Many of these requirements affect us. For example:

 

   

Pursuant to Rule 13a-14 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“the 1934 Act”), our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer must certify the accuracy of the financial statements contained in our periodic reports;

 

   

Pursuant to Item 307 of Regulation S-K, our periodic reports must disclose our conclusions about the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures;

 

   

Pursuant to Rule 13a-15 of the 1934 Act, our management must prepare a report regarding its assessment of our internal control over financial reporting; and

 

   

Pursuant to Item 308 of Regulation S-K and Rule 13a-15 of the 1934 Act, our periodic reports must disclose whether there were significant changes in our internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of their evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to material weaknesses.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires us to review our current policies and procedures to determine whether we comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder. We will continue to monitor our compliance with all regulations that are adopted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and will take actions necessary to ensure that we are in compliance therewith.

 

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MANAGEMENT

Our business and affairs are managed under the direction of our board of directors. The board of directors currently consists of eight members, five of whom are not “interested persons” of Apollo Investment as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act. We refer to these individuals as our independent directors (the “Independent Directors”). Our board of directors elects our officers, who serve at the discretion of the board of directors.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Under our charter, our directors are divided into three classes. Each class of directors holds office for a three year term. At each annual meeting of our stockholders, the successors to the class of directors whose terms expire at such meeting will be elected to hold office for a term expiring at the annual meeting of stockholders held in the third year following the year of their election. Each director holds office for the term to which he or she is elected and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies.

Directors

As of the date of this prospectus, information regarding the board of directors is as follows:

 

Name

   Age     

Position

   Director
Since
     Expiration
of Term
 

Interested Directors

           

John J. Hannan

     62       Chairman of the Board and Director      2004         2018   

James C. Zelter

     53       Chief Executive Officer and Director      2008         2016   

Bradley J. Wechsler (1)

     63       Director      2004         2016   

Independent Directors

           

Hilary E. Ackermann

     59       Director      2015         2018   

Jeanette Loeb

     63       Director      2011         2017   

Frank C. Puleo

     69       Director      2008         2017   

R. Rudolph Reinfrank

     60       Director      2013         2018   

Carl Spielvogel

     86       Director      2004         2017   

Elliot Stein, Jr.

     66       Director      2004         2016   

 

(1) Bradley J. Wechsler is an interested director since January 5, 2015.

The address for each director is c/o Apollo Investment Corporation, 9 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019.

Executive officers who are not directors

Information regarding our executive officers who are not directors is as follows:

 

Name

   Age     

Position

Edward J. Goldthorpe

     38       President

Gregory W. Hunt

     58       Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Cindy Z. Michel

     41       Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer

Joseph D. Glatt

     42       Chief Legal Officer, Vice President and Secretary

The address for each executive officer is c/o Apollo Investment Corporation, 9 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019.

 

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Board of Directors’ Oversight Role in Management

The board of directors’ role in management of Apollo Investment is oversight. As is the case with virtually all investment companies, including business development companies (as distinguished from operating companies), our service providers, primarily AIM, AIA and their affiliates, have responsibility for our day-to-day management, which includes responsibility for risk management (including management of investment performance and investment risk, valuation risk, issuer and counterparty credit risk, compliance risk and operational risk). As part of its oversight, the board of directors, acting at its scheduled meetings, or the chairman or the lead Independent Director acting between board of directors’ meetings, regularly interacts with and receives reports from senior personnel of service providers, including Apollo Investment’s Chief Executive Officer, its President and Chief Operating Officer and its Chief Financial Officer (or a senior representative of their respective offices), Apollo Investment’s and AIM’s Chief Compliance Officer and portfolio management personnel.

The audit committee of the board of directors (which consists of all the Independent Directors), meets regularly, and between meetings the audit committee chair maintains contact, with our independent registered public accounting firm, our Chief Financial Officer and the internal auditor. In addition, at its quarterly meetings, the audit committee meets with the independent valuation services that evaluate certain of our securities holdings for which there are not readily available market values. The board of directors also receives periodic presentations from senior personnel of AIM or its affiliates regarding risk management generally, as well as periodic presentations regarding specific operational, compliance or investment areas such as business continuity, personal trading, valuation, credit and investment research.

The board of directors has adopted policies and procedures designed to address certain of our risks. In addition, Apollo Investment, AIM, AIA and other of our service providers have adopted a variety of policies, procedures and controls designed to address our particular risks. However, it is not possible to eliminate all of the risks applicable to us. The board of directors also receives reports from our counsel or counsel to AIM and the board of directors’ own independent legal counsel regarding regulatory compliance and governance matters. The board of directors’ oversight role does not make the board of directors a guarantor of our investments or activities or the activities of any of our service providers on behalf of Apollo Investment.

Board of Directors Composition and Leadership Structure

The 1940 Act requires that at least a majority of our directors not be “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of Apollo Investment. Currently, six of our nine directors are Independent Directors. The chairman of the board of directors is an interested person of Apollo Investment, and the Independent Directors have designated a Lead Independent Director who chairs meetings or executive sessions of the Independent Directors, reviews and comments on board of directors’ meeting agendas, represents the views of the Independent Directors to management and facilitates communication among the Independent Directors and their counsel and between management and the Independent Directors. The board of directors has determined that its leadership structure, in which over 60% of the directors are not affiliated with AIM, is appropriate in light of the services that AIM and its affiliates provide to us and potential conflicts of interest that could arise from these relationships.

Biographical Information

Directors

Our directors have been divided into two groups—Independent Directors and interested directors. Interested directors are interested persons as defined in the 1940 Act.

 

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Information About Each Director’s Experience, Qualifications, Attributes or Skills.

Additional information about each director follows (supplementing the information provided in the tables above) that describes some of the specific experiences, qualifications, attributes or skills that each director possesses which the board believes has prepared them to be effective directors. The board of directors believes that the significance of each director’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills is an individual matter (meaning that experience that is important for one director may not have the same value for another) and that these factors are best evaluated at the board level, with no single director, or particular factor, being indicative of board effectiveness. However, the board of directors believes that directors need to have the ability to critically review, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, and to interact effectively with our management, service providers and counsel, in order to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties; the board of directors believes that its members satisfy this standard. Experience relevant to having this ability may be achieved through a director’s educational background; business, professional training or practice (e.g., medicine, accounting or law), public service or academic positions; experience from service as a board member (including the board of directors of Apollo Investment) or as an executive of investment funds, public companies or significant private or not-for-profit entities or other organizations; and/or other life experiences. To assist them in evaluating matters under federal and state law, the directors are counseled by their own independent legal counsel, who participates in board of directors’ meetings and interacts with AIM, and also may benefit from information provided by our or AIM’s counsel; both board of directors and our counsel have significant experience advising funds and fund board members. The board of directors and its committees have the ability to engage other experts as appropriate. The board of directors evaluates its performance on an annual basis.

Independent Directors

Hilary E. Ackermann (59) Director. Ms. Ackermann became a Director of the Company in August 2015. Ms. Ackermann currently serves as a Director of Dynegy Inc., where she also serves as Chair of the Finance and Commercial Oversight Committee, and The Hartford Funds mutual fund complex. Ms. Ackermann was Chief Risk Officer with Goldman Sachs Bank USA from October 2008 until October 2011 where she also served as Vice Chair of the Bank Risk Committee, was a member of Community Investment, Business Standards and New Activities Committees; was a member of GS Group level Credit Policy and Capital Committees; and chaired GS Group level Operational Risk Committee. Ms. Ackermann served as Managing Director, Credit Department of Goldman Sachs & Co. from January 2002 until October 2008, as VP Credit Department from 1989 to 2001, and as an Associate in the Credit Department from 1985 to 1988. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Ms. Ackermann served as Assistant Department Head of the Credit Department at Swiss Bank Corporation from 1981 until 1985.

Jeanette Loeb (63) Director. Ms. Loeb became a Director of the Company in August 2011. Ms. Loeb currently serves as a Director of PetCareRx, Inc., and is a former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company, a leading e-commerce pet pharmacy that sells pet medications, supplies and food directly to the consumer. Ms. Loeb joined PetCareRx, Inc. in 2001. From 1977 until 1994, Ms. Loeb was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs & Co., where she served as the head of the Structured Finance Department in the U.S. Ms. Loeb was named the first woman partner of Goldman Sachs & Co. in 1986 and served as a partner from 1986 to 1994. Ms. Loeb received an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wellesley College with a BA in economics. She currently serves on the board and the finance committee of New York City Center and the board for Alliance Bernstein Multi-Manager Alternative Fund, and has previously been on the board and audit committee of the United Nations Development Corporation, a member of the board of the Collegiate School, the Treasurer and a board member of the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering, and a founding member of the Wellesley Business Leadership Council.

Frank C. Puleo (69) Director. Mr. Puleo became a Director of the Company in February 2008. Mr. Puleo currently serves as a Director of South Street Holdings, LLC (formerly known as CMET Finance

 

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Holdings, Inc.), a company that finances securities inventory for customers and dealers and licenses trade processing software, SLM Corp., a student loan company, and Syncora Capital Assurance, Inc., a monoline financial guaranty and insurance company. From 2006 to 2014, Mr. Puleo was a Director of CIFC Corp. (formerly known as CIFC Deerfield Corp.), a credit asset manager. Previously, Mr. Puleo was also a partner at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP where he advised clients on structured finance transactions, bank and bank holding company regulatory and securities law matters. Mr. Puleo became a partner of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP in 1978 and Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Finance Group in 1995 until retiring at the end of 2006. He was a member of the firm’s Executive Committee from 1982 to 1991 and from 1996 to 2002. Mr. Puleo served as a Lecturer at Columbia University School of Law from 1997 to 2001.

R. Rudolph Reinfrank (60) Director. Mr. Reinfrank became a Director of the Company in June 2013. Mr. Reinfrank currently serves as a Director of Parker Drilling Company Inc. Since October 2009 Mr. Reinfrank has served as the Managing General Partner of Riverford Partners, LLC, a strategic advisory and investment firm based in Los Angeles, CA (“Riverford”). Riverford acts as an investor, board member and strategic adviser to growth companies and companies in transition. In 2000, Mr. Reinfrank co-founded and served as a Managing General Partner of Clarity Partners, L.P. until 2009. In 1997, he co-founded and serves as a Managing General Partner of Rader Reinfrank & Co. In 2006, he co-founded Clarity China, L.P. Mr. Reinfrank is also a Senior Adviser to Pall Mall Capital, Limited (London) and Transnational Capital Corporation.

Carl Spielvogel (86) Director. Ambassador Spielvogel became a Director of the Company in March 2004. Ambassador Spielvogel was and is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Carl Spielvogel Enterprises, Inc., an international management and counseling company, from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to present. From 2000 to 2001, Ambassador Spielvogel served as U.S. Ambassador to the Slovak Republic, based in Bratislava, Slovakia. He served as a Director of Interactive Data Corporation, Inc. from 1996 to 2009, and as a member of its Audit Committee and Chairman of the Independent Shareholders Committee. From 1994 to 1997, Ambassador Spielvogel was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the United Auto Group, Inc., one of the first publicly-owned auto dealership groups. Earlier, Ambassador Spielvogel was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Backer Spielvogel Bates Worldwide, a global marketing communications company from 1985 to 1994. Ambassador Spielvogel is a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; a member of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Business Council of the Asia Society; a member of the Board of Trustees of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; a member of the Executive Committee of the Council of American Ambassadors; a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the State University of New York, and a former Fellow of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Before becoming an Ambassador, he was a Governor of the United States Government Board of Broadcasting.

Elliot Stein, Jr. (66) Director. Mr. Stein became a Director of the Company in March 2004 and currently serves as lead Independent Director. Mr. Stein has also been a Director of Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc. since 2011 and a Director of Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc. since 2013. He served as a Director of Bizzingo, Inc., from 2012 to 2013. He also served as Chairman of Acertas LLC and Senturion Forecasting (consulting firms) since 2013 and Caribbean International News Corporation from 1985 to 2013, and is a board member of various private companies including Multi-Pak Solutions and Cohere Communications. Mr. Stein was a Managing Director of Commonwealth Capital Partners and has served as a Director of VTG Holdings, Bargain Shop Holdings, Inc. and various other private companies. Mr. Stein is a Trustee of Claremont Graduate University and the New School University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Stein received a BA from Claremont McKenna College.

Interested Directors

John J. Hannan (62) Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Hannan became a Director of the Company in March 2004 and was elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors in August 2006. He served as the Chief Executive Officer from February 2006 to November 2008. Mr. Hannan, a senior partner of Apollo Management, L.P., co-founded Apollo Management, L.P. in 1990. He is also currently on the Board of Directors of EP Energy Corporation. Mr. Hannan formerly served as a Director of Vail Resorts, Inc. and Goodman Global, Inc.

 

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Bradley J. Wechsler (63) Director. Mr. Wechsler became a Director of the Company in April 2004. Mr. Wechsler was the Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of IMAX Corporation from May 1996 through April 2009 and is currently Chairman. Since January 2015, Mr. Wechsler is the Managing Partner of Elysium, LLC, a limited liability company that manages the family office for Leon Black, the CEO of Apollo Global Management, LLC (“AGM”). Previously Mr. Wechsler has had several executive positions in the entertainment and finance industries and has made a number of private investments. Mr. Wechsler is a Vice-Chairman of the board of the NYU Hospital and Medical Center, a member of the Executive Committee and chairs its Finance Committee. He also sits on the board of Math for America and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

James Zelter (53) Chief Executive Officer and Director. Mr. Zelter became the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the Company in 2006. Mr. Zelter is the Managing Partner of Apollo Capital Management, L.P., where he oversees the firm’s activities in a broad array of asset classes. Prior to joining Apollo, Mr. Zelter was with Citigroup and its predecessor companies from 1994 to 2006. He was responsible for the global expansion and strong financial performance of the Special Situations Investment Group, a proprietary investment group he founded within Citigroup’s Fixed Income Division. As head of Citigroup’s Special Situations Investment Group, Mr. Zelter was responsible for the acquisition of approximately $5 billion of non-performing loan portfolios and ancillary investments. While with Citigroup, Mr. Zelter also served on the Global Fixed Income Management Committee. In this role, he oversaw the firm’s High Yield Trading, Sales and Capital Market Groups. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Zelter was Chief Investment Officer of Citigroup Alternative Investments. In addition, he was a standing member of the Citigroup Pension Investment Committee, the Salomon Smith Barney Capital Partners Investment Committee and the Citigroup Mezzanine Partners Investment Committee. Prior to joining Citigroup in 1994, Mr. Zelter was a High Yield Trader at Goldman Sachs & Co. Mr. Zelter is a board member of DUMAC, the investment management company that oversees the Duke Endowment and Duke Foundation, and is on the board of the Dalton School. Mr. Zelter has a BA in Economics from Duke University.

Executive Officers who are not directors

Joseph D. Glatt (42) Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Vice President. Mr. Glatt was appointed Chief Legal Officer of the Company in 2014, Secretary in 2010 and Vice President in 2009. Mr. Glatt is also currently General Counsel of Apollo Capital Management, L.P., a position he has held since 2007. Since 2011 he has served as the Chief Legal Officer of Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc., and since 2013, he has served as the Chief Legal Officer of Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc. Mr. Glatt joined Apollo in 2007 and serves as General Counsel for Apollo Capital Management, L.P. Prior to that time, Mr. Glatt was associated with the law firms of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP from 1998 to 2003 and Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP from 2003 to 2007, in each case, primarily focusing on mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and capital markets activities. Mr. Glatt serves on the Board of Trustees for FamilyConnections, a community based counseling and family service agency, and also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Institute of Law and Economics, a joint research center of the Law School, Wharton and the Department of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Glatt received his JD from University of Pennsylvania Law School and graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers College with a BA in Political Science, Psychology and Hebraic Studies.

Edward J. Goldthorpe (38) President. Mr. Goldthorpe is President of the Company, Chief Investment Officer of Apollo Investment Management, and Senior Portfolio Manager, U.S. Opportunistic Credit. Mr. Goldthorpe joined Apollo in April 2012 and oversees the Opportunistic Credit platform within Apollo. Previously, Mr. Goldthorpe was employed by Goldman Sachs & Co. for 13 years. He most recently ran the Bank Loan Distressed Investing Desk and prior to that was a Managing Director in the Special Situations Group, running both their Middle Market Private Equity business and the Canadian business (CSSG). Prior to that, Mr. Goldthorpe worked in the High Yield Distressed business, the Merchant Banking Division and the Investment Banking Division. Mr. Goldthorpe received a B.A. in Commerce from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Mr. Goldthorpe currently serves on the Global Advisory Board for the Queen’s School of Business. He is also the Chairman of the Young Fellowship of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

 

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Gregory W. Hunt (58) Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Mr. Hunt began his term as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Company in May 2012. Previously, Mr. Hunt was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Yankee Candle, which he joined in April 2010. Prior to joining Yankee Candle, Mr. Hunt served as the Executive Vice President of Strategic and Commercial Development for Norwegian Cruise Lines from 2007 to 2009. Prior to joining Norwegian Cruise Lines, Mr. Hunt served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Restructuring Officer of Tweeter Home Entertainment Group, Inc. from 2006 to 2007 and Chief Financial Officer and Co-Chief Executive of Syratech Corporation from 2001 to 2006. Prior to Syratech, Mr. Hunt held several senior financial leadership positions including Chief Financial Officer of NRT Inc., Culligan Water Technologies, Inc. and Samsonite Corporation. Mr. Hunt also serves as a Director of LogicSource, Inc. and as a member of the Board of Advisors for the University of Vermont School of Business. Mr. Hunt earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of Vermont and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Cindy Z. Michel (41) Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer. Ms. Michel joined Apollo in 2007. Ms. Michel is also the Chief Compliance Officer of AGM. Prior to joining Apollo, Ms. Michel served as the Director of Compliance of the Private Equity Division and the Global Trading Strategies Group at Lehman Brothers. Prior to that, she was associated with the investment bank Credit-Suisse Securities as a member of its Compliance Department supporting the Private Equity and Investment Banking businesses. Before joining Credit-Suisse, Ms. Michel was associated with the law firm of DLA Piper. Ms. Michel graduated from Columbia University with an AB in English and Economics and holds a JD from Boston University School of Law.

COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Audit committee

The audit committee operates pursuant to an audit committee charter approved by our board of directors. The charter sets forth the responsibilities of the audit committee, which include selecting or retaining each year an independent registered public accounting firm (the “auditors”) to audit our annual financial statements; reviewing and discussing with management and the auditors our annual audited financial statements, including disclosures made in management’s discussion and analysis, and recommending to the board of directors whether the audited financial statements should be included in our annual report on Form 10-K; reviewing and discussing with management and the auditors our quarterly financial statements prior to the filings of its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q; pre-approving the auditors’ engagement to render audit and/or permissible non-audit services; evaluating the qualifications, performance and independence of the auditors; reviewing preliminary valuations of the investment adviser and independent valuation firms and recommending valuations to the board of directors; and recommending compensation of the chief financial officer to the board of directors for determination. The audit committee is presently composed of six persons: Messrs. Reinfrank, Puleo, Spielvogel, Stein, Ms. Loeb and Ms. Ackermann, all of whom are Independent Directors and are otherwise considered independent under NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 5605(a)(2). Each member of the audit committee is expected to continue to serve on the audit committee after the Meeting. Mr. Reinfrank currently serves as the chairperson of the audit committee. Our board of directors has determined that Mr. Reinfrank is an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined under Item 401 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The audit committee charter is available on our website (http://www.apolloic.com). During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, the audit committee met eight times.

Nominating and corporate governance committee

The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for selecting qualified nominees to be elected to the board of directors by stockholders; identifying, selecting or recommending qualified nominees to fill any vacancies on the board of directors or a committee thereof; developing and recommending to the board of directors a set of corporate governance principles applicable to us; overseeing the evaluation of the board of directors and management; and undertaking such other duties and responsibilities as may from time to time be

 

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delegated by the board of directors to the nominating and corporate governance committee. The nominating and corporate governance committee is presently composed of six persons: Messrs. Puleo, Reinfrank, Spielvogel, Stein, Ms. Loeb and Ms. Ackermann. Mr. Stein currently serves as the chairman of the nominating and corporate governance committee. The nominating and corporate governance committee has adopted a written nominating and corporate governance committee charter which is available on our website (www.apolloic.com). During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, the nominating and corporate governance committee met four times.

Compensation committee

The compensation committee is responsible for determining, or recommending to the board of directors for determining, the compensation of our chief executive officer and all other executive officers, paid directly by us, if any. The compensation committee also assists the board of directors with all matters related to compensation, as directed by the board of directors. The current members of the compensation committee are Messrs. Reinfrank, Puleo, Spielvogel, Stein, Ms. Loeb and Ms. Ackermann, each of whom is not an interested person of us for purposes of the 1940 Act and the NASDAQ corporate governance rules. As shown below, none of our executive officers is directly compensated by us and, as a result, the compensation committee does not produce and/or review and report on executive compensation practices. The compensation committee Charter is available on our website (www.apolloic.com). During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, the compensation committee met three times.

COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

The following table shows information regarding the compensation expected to be received by the independent directors and executive officers for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015. No compensation is paid to directors who are “interested persons.”

 

Name

   Aggregate
compensation  from
Apollo Investment
     Pension or
retirement benefits
accrued as part of
our expenses(1)
     Total
compensation  from
Apollo Investment
paid to director/
officer
 

Independent directors

        

R. Rudolph Reinfrank

   $ 171,000         None       $ 171,000   

Jeanette Loeb

     156,000         None         156,000   

Frank C. Puleo

     154,500         None         154,500   

Carl Spielvogel

     156,000         None         156,000   

Elliot Stein, Jr.

     183,500         None         183,500   

Interested directors

        

John J. Hannan

     None         None         None   

James C. Zelter(2)

     None         None         None   

Bradley J. Wechsler(3)

     144,000         None         104,250   

Executive Officers

        

Edward J. Goldthorpe

     None         None         None   

Gregory W. Hunt

     None         None         None   

Cindy Michel

     None         None         None   

Joseph Glatt

     None         None         None   

 

(1) We do not have a profit sharing or retirement plan, and directors do not receive any pension or retirement benefits.

 

(2) James C. Zelter is also an executive officer of Apollo Investment Corporation.

 

(3) Effective January 5, 2015, Mr. Wechsler became an interested director. His compensation for the fiscal year ended March 1, 2015 is pro-rata based upon the portion of the fiscal year when he was an independent director.

The independent directors’ annual fee is $125,000. The independent directors also receive $2,500 plus reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending each board meeting, $1,000

 

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plus reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with each committee meeting attended, and $1,500 for each telephonic committee or board meeting attended. In addition, the Lead Independent Director receives an annual fee of $25,000, the Chairman of the Audit Committee receives an annual fee of $15,000 and each chairman of any other committee receives an annual fee of $2,500 for additional services in these capacities. Further, we purchase directors’ and officers’ liability insurance on behalf of our directors and officers.

Additional information required by this item, including for example, compensation of officers and directors, is contained in the Registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for its 2014 Annual Stockholders Meeting under the caption, “Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers” to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after March 31, 2015 and is incorporated herein by reference.

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT

Management services

AIM serves as our investment adviser and is controlled by Apollo. AIM is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. Subject to the overall supervision of our board of directors, the investment adviser manages the day-to-day operations of, and provides investment advisory and management services to, Apollo Investment. Under the terms of an investment advisory and management agreement, AIM:

 

   

determines the composition of our portfolio, the nature and timing of the changes to our portfolio and the manner of implementing such changes;

 

   

identifies, evaluates and negotiates the structure of the investments we make (including performing due diligence on our prospective portfolio companies); and

 

   

closes and monitors the investments we make.

AIM’s services under the investment advisory and management agreement are not exclusive, and it is free to furnish similar services to other entities so long as its services to us are not impaired.

Management fee

Pursuant to the investment advisory and management agreement, we pay AIM a fee for investment advisory and management services consisting of two components—a base management fee and an incentive fee. For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, we paid $73.60 million, $62.82 million and $55.7 million, respectively, in base management fees and expensed $53.18 million, $46.92 million and $41.1 million, respectively, in performance-based incentive fees.

The base management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 2.00% of our average gross assets. The base management fee is payable quarterly in arrears. The base management fee is calculated based on the average value of our gross assets net of payable for investments and cash equivalents purchased at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. Base management fees for any partial month or quarter are appropriately prorated.

The incentive fee has two parts, as follows: one part is calculated and payable quarterly in arrears based on our pre-incentive fee net investment income for the immediately preceding calendar quarter. For this purpose, pre-incentive fee net investment income means interest income, dividend income and any other income (including any other fees (other than fees for providing managerial assistance), such as commitment, origination, structuring, diligence and consulting fees or other fees that we receive from portfolio companies) accrued during the calendar quarter, minus our operating expenses for the quarter (including the base management fee, any expenses payable under the Administration Agreement, and any interest expense and dividends paid on any

 

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issued and outstanding preferred stock, but excluding the incentive fee). Pre-incentive fee net investment income does not include any realized capital gains computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation. Pre-incentive fee net investment income, expressed as a rate of return on the value of our net assets at the end of the immediately preceding calendar quarter, is compared to the rate of 1.75% per quarter (7% annualized). Our net investment income used to calculate this part of the incentive fee is also included in the amount of our gross assets used to calculate the 2% base management fee.

We pay AIM an incentive fee with respect to our pre-incentive fee net investment income in each calendar quarter as follows:

 

   

no incentive fee in any calendar quarter in which our pre-incentive fee net investment income does not exceed the performance threshold of 1.75%;

 

   

100% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income with respect to that portion of such pre-incentive fee net investment income, if any, that exceeds the performance threshold but does not exceed 2.1875% in any calendar quarter (8.75% annualized); and

 

   

20% of the amount of our pre-incentive fee net investment income, if any, that exceeds 2.1875% in any calendar quarter (8.75% annualized).

The following is a graphical representation of the calculation of the income-related portion of the incentive fee:

Quarterly Incentive Fee Based on Net Investment Income

PRE-INCENTIVE FEE NET INVESTMENT INCOME

(EXPRESSED AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE OF NET ASSETS)

 

LOGO

PERCENTAGE OF PRE-INCENTIVE FEE NET INVESTMENT INCOME

ALLOCATED TO INCOME-RELATED PORTION OF INCENTIVE FEE

These calculations are appropriately pro rated for any period of less than three months. The effect of the fee calculation described above is that if pre-incentive fee net investment income is equal to or exceeds 2.1875%, AIM will receive a fee of 20% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income for the quarter. You should be aware that a rise in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to higher interest rates applicable to our debt investments. Accordingly, an increase in interest rates would make it easier for us to meet or exceed the incentive fee performance threshold and may result in a substantial increase of the amount of incentive fees payable to our investment adviser with respect to pre-incentive fee net investment income. Furthermore, since the performance threshold is based on a percentage of our net asset value, decreases in our net asset value make it easier to achieve the performance threshold.

The second part of the incentive fee is determined and payable in arrears as of the end of each calendar year (or upon termination of the Investment Advisory and Management Agreement, as of the termination date) and will equal 20% of our realized capital gains for each calendar year computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation and incorporating unrealized depreciation on a gross investment-by-investment basis at the end of such year. Capital gains with respect to any investment will equal the difference between the proceeds from the sale of such investment and the accreted or amortized cost basis of such investment.

 

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Examples of Quarterly Incentive Fee Calculation

Example 1: Income Related Portion of Incentive Fee (*):

Alternative 1

Assumptions

Investment income (including interest, dividends, fees, etc.) = 1.25%

Performance threshold (1) = 1.75%

Management fee (2) = 0.50%

Other expenses (legal, accounting, custodian, transfer agent, etc.) (3) = 0.20%

Pre-incentive fee net investment income

(investment income—(management fee + other expenses)) = 0.55%

Pre-incentive net investment income does not exceed performance threshold, therefore there is no incentive fee.

Alternative 2

Assumptions

Investment income (including interest, dividends, fees, etc.) = 2.70%

Performance threshold (1) = 1.75%

Management fee (2) = 0.50%

Other expenses (legal, accounting, custodian, transfer agent, etc.) (3) = 0.20%

Pre-incentive fee net investment income

(investment income—(management fee + other expenses)) = 2.00%

Incentive fee = 100% × pre-incentive fee net investment income, in excess of the performance threshold (4)

= 100% × (2.00% – 1.75%)

= 0.25%

Alternative 3

Assumptions

Investment income (including interest, dividends, fees, etc.) = 3.00%

Performance threshold (1) = 1.75%

Management fee (2) = 0.50%

Other expenses (legal, accounting, custodian, transfer agent, etc.) (3) = 0.20%

Pre-incentive fee net investment income

(investment income—(management fee + other expenses)) = 2.30%

Incentive fee = 100% × (2.1875% – 1.75%) + (20% × (pre-incentive fee net investment income—

2.1875%))

= 0.4375%

Incentive fee = (100% × 0.4375%) + (20% × (2.30% – 2.1875%))

= 0.4375% + (20% × 0.1125%)

= 0.4375% + 0.0225%

= 0.46%

 

(*) The hypothetical amount of pre-incentive fee net investment income shown is based on a percentage of total net assets.

 

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(1) Represents 7.0% annualized performance threshold.

 

(2) Represents 2.0% annualized management fee.

 

(3) Excludes organizational and offering expenses.

 

(4) This provides our investment adviser with an incentive fee of 20% on all of our pre-incentive fee net investment income when our net investment income equals or exceeds 2.1875% in any calendar quarter.

Example 2: Capital Gains Portion of Incentive Fee:

Alternative 1:

Assumptions

 

   

Year 1: $20 million investment made in Company A (“Investment A”), and $30 million investment made in Company B (“Investment B”)

 

   

Year 2: Investment A sold for $50 million and fair market value (“FMV”) of Investment B determined to be $32 million

 

   

Year 3: FMV of Investment B determined to be $25 million

 

   

Year 4: Investment B sold for $31 million

The capital gains portion of the incentive fee would be:

 

   

Year 1: None

 

   

Year 2: Capital gains incentive fee of $6 million ($30 million realized capital gains on sale of Investment A multiplied by 20%)

 

   

Year 3: None

$5 million (20% multiplied by ($30 million cumulative capital gains less $5 million cumulative capital depreciation)) less $6 million (previous capital gains fee paid in Year 2)

 

   

Year 4: Capital gains incentive fee of $200,000

$6.2 million ($31 million cumulative realized capital gains multiplied by 20%) less $6 million (capital gains fee taken in Year 2)

Alternative 2

Assumptions

 

   

Year 1: $20 million investment made in Company A (“Investment A”), $30 million investment made in Company B (“Investment B”) and $25 million investment made in Company C (“Investment C”)

 

   

Year 2: Investment A sold for $50 million, FMV of Investment B determined to be $25 million and FMV of Investment C determined to be $25 million

 

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Year 3: FMV of Investment B determined to be $27 million and Investment C sold for $30 million

 

   

Year 4: FMV of Investment B determined to be $35 million

 

   

Year 5: Investment B sold for $20 million

The capital gains incentive fee, if any, would be:

 

   

Year 1: None

 

   

Year 2: $5 million capital gains incentive fee

 

   

20% multiplied by $25 million ($30 million realized capital gains on Investment A less unrealized capital depreciation on Investment B)

 

   

Year 3: $1.4 million capital gains incentive fee (1)

 

   

$6.4 million (20% multiplied by $32 million ($35 million cumulative realized capital gains less $3 million unrealized capital depreciation)) less $5 million capital gains fee received in Year 2

 

   

Year 4: None

 

   

Year 5: None

$5 million (20% multiplied by $25 million (cumulative realized capital gains of $35 million less realized capital losses of $10 million)) less $6.4 million cumulative capital gains fee paid in Year 2 and Year 3”

Payment of our expenses

All investment professionals of the investment adviser and their respective staffs when and to the extent engaged in providing investment advisory and management services, and the compensation and routine overhead expenses of such personnel allocable to such services, are provided and paid for by AIM. We bear all other costs and expenses of our operations and transactions, including those relating to: calculation of our net asset value (including the cost and expenses of any independent valuation firm); expenses incurred by AIM payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisers, in monitoring our financial and legal affairs and in monitoring our investments and performing due diligence on our prospective portfolio companies; interest payable on debt, if any, incurred to finance our investments; offerings of our common stock and other securities; investment advisory and management fees; fees payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisers, relating to, or associated with, evaluating and making investments; transfer agent and custodial fees; registration fees; listing fees; taxes; independent directors’ fees and expenses; costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents of the SEC; the costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to stockholders, including printing costs; our allocable portion of the fidelity bond, directors’ and officers’ errors and omissions liability insurance, and any other insurance premiums; direct costs and expenses of administration, including auditor and legal costs; and all other expenses incurred by us or Apollo Administration in connection with administering our business, such as our allocable portion of overhead under the administration agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the cost of our chief compliance officer, chief financial officer and corporate secretary and their respective staffs.

 

(1) As illustrated in Year 3 of Alternative 1 above, if Apollo Investment were to be wound up on a date other than December 31st of any year, Apollo Investment may have paid aggregate capital gain incentive fees that are more than the amount of such fees that would be payable if Apollo Investment had been wound up on December 31st of such year.

 

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Duration and termination

The continuation of our investment advisory and management agreement was approved by our board of directors on March 12, 2015. Unless terminated earlier as described below, it will remain in effect from year to year if approved annually by our board of directors or by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities, including, in either case, approval by a majority of our directors who are not “interested persons” as defined in the 1940 Act. The investment advisory and management agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. Either party may terminate the investment advisory and management agreement without penalty upon not more than 60 days’ written notice to the other party. See “Risk Factors—Risks relating to our business and structure—We are dependent upon AIM’s key personnel for our future success and upon their access to Apollo’s investment professionals and partners.”

Indemnification

The investment advisory and management agreement provides that, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or reckless disregard of its duties and obligations, AIM and its officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons, members and any other person or entity affiliated with it are entitled to indemnification from Apollo Investment for any damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) arising from the rendering of AIM’s services under the investment advisory and management agreement or otherwise as an investment adviser of Apollo Investment.

Organization of the investment adviser

AIM is a Delaware limited partnership that is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The principal executive offices of AIM are at 9 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019.

Portfolio Managers

AIM, our investment adviser, is led by John Hannan, James C. Zelter and Edward Goldthorpe. Potential investment and disposition opportunities are generally approved by one or more committees comprised of personnel across AGM, including Mr. Zelter and Mr. Goldthorpe, and/or Mr. Zelter or Mr. Goldthorpe depending on the underlying investment type and/or the amount of such investment. The composition of such committees and the overall approval process for our investments may change from time to time. AIM draws upon AGM’s more than 25 year history and benefits from the broader firm’s significant capital markets, trading and research expertise developed through investments in many core sectors in over 200 companies since inception.

Within the context of the structure described above, the following individuals (the “Portfolio Managers”) have senior responsibility for the management of our investment portfolio: Edward Goldthorpe, James C. Zelter, Tanner Powell, Justin Sendak and Robert Ruberton. Mr. Goldthorpe is also AIM’s Chief Investment Officer and has primary responsibility for the day-to-day implementation and management of our investment portfolio.

 

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Other Accounts Managed. As of March 31, 2015 (and in the case of Mr. Powell, as of June 30, 2015), the Portfolio Managers were primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the following accounts:

 

Name of Portfolio Manager

   Type of Accounts    Total Number
of Accounts
Managed
     Total Assets
(in millions) (1)
     Number of
Accounts
Managed for
which Advisory
Fee is Based on
Performance
     Total Assets for
which Advisory
Fee is Based on
Performance
(in millions) (2)
 

Edward Goldthorpe

   Registered

Investment

Companies:

     None                           
  

 

Other Pooled

Investment

Vehicles:

  

 

 

 

2

 

  

  

 

$

 

3,568

 

  

  

 

 

 

2

 

  

  

 

$

 

3,568

 

  

  

 

Other Accounts:

  

 

 

 

3

 

  

  

 

$

 

1,337

 

  

  

 

 

 

3

 

  

  

 

$

 

1,337

 

  

James C. Zelter

   Registered

Investment

Companies:

     None                           
   Other Pooled

Investment

Vehicles:

     None                           
   Other Accounts:      1         601                   

Tanner Powell

   Registered

Investment

Companies:

     None                           
  

 

Other Pooled

Investment

Vehicles:

  

 

 

 

None

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

Other Accounts:

  

 

 

 

None

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

  

Justin Sendak

   Registered

Investment

Companies:

     None                           
   Other Pooled

Investment

Vehicles:

     None                           
   Other Accounts:      None                           

Robert Ruberton

   Registered

Investment

Companies:

     None                           
  

 

Other Pooled

Investment

Vehicles:

  

 

 

 

6

 

  

  

 

$

 

4,786

 

  

  

 

 

 

6

 

  

  

 

$

 

4,786

 

  

  

 

Other Accounts:

  

 

 

 

9

 

  

  

 

$

 

2,268

 

  

  

 

 

 

8

 

  

  

 

$

 

1,891

 

  

 

(1) Total assets represents assets under management as defined by Apollo Global Management, LLC, which includes unfunded commitments.

 

(2) Represents the assets under management of the accoun