W(h)ither Yields? Dividend Capacity & BDC Stock Prices: A Mortgage REIT Case Study

The sustained low yield environment is pressuring BDC earnings. If business development companies implement modest dividend cuts, will stock prices decline to maintain investor yield, or will investors accept lower stock yields amid a dearth of compelling alternative income plays? The experience of mortgage REITs examined in this whitepaper, published September, 2014, suggests that erosion of NAV per share from credit-related writedowns is a bigger threat to stock prices over time.