UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report: August 5, 2020

(Date of earliest event reported)

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(305) 381-6999

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former Name or Former Address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company   ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.   ¨

Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition

On August 10, 2020, WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing a quarterly distribution and its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information in Item 2.02 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1 furnished herewith, is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for any purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of such Section. The information in Item 2.02 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1 furnished herewith, shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Item 5.07. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

On August 5, 2020, the Company held its annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”). At the Annual Meeting, the Company’s stockholders approved two proposals. The issued and outstanding shares of stock of the Company entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting consisted of 20,546,032 shares of common stock outstanding on the record date, June 8, 2020. The final voting results from the Annual Meeting were as follows:

Proposal 1. To elect three Class II directors of the Company who will each serve until the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders or until his successor is duly elected and qualifies.

Proposal 2. To ratify the selection of Crowe LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020.

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure

A copy of an earnings presentation that is intended to be used by representatives of the Company is furnished as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.2 furnished herewith, is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for any purpose of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of such Section. The information in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.2 furnished herewith, shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements other than statements of historical facts included in this Current Report on Form 8-K may constitute forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement made herein. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Exhibit 99.1

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2020 Earnings Results and Declares Quarterly Distribution of $0.355 Per Share

NEW YORK, NY, August 10, 2020 – WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (“WhiteHorse Finance” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: WHF) today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020. Additionally, the Company announced that its board of directors has declared a distribution of $0.355 per share with respect to the quarter ending September 30, 2020. The distribution will be payable on October 2, 2020 to stockholders of record as of September 21, 2020.

Second Quarter 2020 Summary Highlights

(1) Includes investments in WHF STRS Ohio Senior Loan Fund LLC (“STRS JV”), an unconsolidated joint venture, totaling $48.9 million, at fair value.

(2) Excludes investments made in STRS JV.

(3) Core net investment income is a non-GAAP financial measure. The Company believes that core net investment income provides useful information to investors and management because it reflects the Company's financial performance excluding (i) the net impact of costs associated with the refinancing of the Company’s indebtedness, (ii) the accrual of the capital gains incentive fee attributable to net realized and unrealized gains and losses, and (iii) excise and other income taxes related to such net realized gains and losses (net of incentive fees). The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP. Additional information on core net investment income and a reconciliation of core net investment income to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, net investment income, are set forth in Schedule 1 hereto.

Stuart Aronson, WhiteHorse Finance’s Chief Executive Officer commented, “Five months into the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the market slowly recover from the first shock with moderate pricing and slightly higher deal activity. While NII for the quarter was below our goal, NAV increased materially and liquidity dramatically improved. During the quarter, we continued to grow our portfolio with three new first lien positions and our portfolio is now comprised of 93.8% first lien loans. Recently, we also reduced outstanding borrowings on our credit facility to its minimum requirement and this influx of liquidity will allow us to rebuild our pipeline and take advantage of the better deals we are now seeing in the marketplace. We will continue leveraging our three-tiered sourcing approach and rigorous underwriting standards while continuing to build value for our shareholders.”

Portfolio and Investment Activity

As of June 30, 2020, the fair value of WhiteHorse Finance’s investment portfolio was $547.4 million, compared with $557.1 million as of March 31, 2020. The portfolio at June 30, 2020 consisted of 68 positions across 53 companies with a weighted average effective yield of 9.6% on income-producing debt investments. The average debt investment size (excluding investments in STRS JV) was $8.8 million with the overall portfolio comprised of approximately 83% first lien secured loans, 5% second lien secured loans, 3% equity and 9% in investments in STRS JV. Almost all loans were substantially variable-rate investments (primarily indexed to the London Interbank Offered Rate) with fixed rate securities representing only 0.4%of loans at fair value. Nearly all performing floating rate investments have interest rate floors.

During the three months ended June 30, 2020, WhiteHorse Finance made investments in three new portfolio companies totaling $33.6 million and added a total of $5.8 million to three existing portfolio companies. Proceeds from sales and repayments, including $0.3 million of net repayments on revolvers, totaled approximately $36.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, driven by a full paydown from Sigue Corporation of $24.8 million.

In addition to the transactions above, during the three months ended June 30, 2020, WhiteHorse Finance transferred an aggregate of $36.6 million in assets to STRS JV in exchange for a net investment in STRS JV of $5.7 million as well as cash proceeds of $30.9 million.

WHF STRS Ohio Senior Loan Fund LLC

As of June 30, 2020, STRS JV’s portfolio totaled $160.8 million, consisted of 18 portfolio companies and had a weighted average effective yield of 7.9% on its portfolio.

Results of Operations

For the three months ended June 30, 2020, the Company’s net investment income was approximately $5.2 million, compared with approximately $7.2 million for the same period in the prior year, representing a decrease of approximately 27.8%. The decrease in net investment income for the year-over-year period is primarily attributable to lower non-recurring fee income in the current quarter. The decrease in fee income during the quarter ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the same period in the prior year is a result of a lower volume in non-recurring, fee-generating events. The decrease in fee income during the quarter ended June 30, 2020 was partially offset by a decrease in incentive fees as compared to the same period in the prior year. The incentive fees decrease was primarily due to lower net investment income in the current quarter.

For the three months ended June 30, 2020, core net investment income, a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes capital gains incentive fee accruals, the net effects of excise or other income taxes related to net realized gains and losses, and the associated costs of refinancing the Company’s indebtedness, was $5.2 million, compared with $7.4 million for the same period in the prior year, representing a decrease of approximately 29.4%.

For the three months ended June 30, 2020, WhiteHorse Finance reported a net realized and unrealized gain on investments and foreign currency transactions of $17.6 million. This compares with a net realized and unrealized gain on investments and foreign currency transactions of $1.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019. The increase in the year-over-year period was primarily attributable to markups in the portfolio as a result of overall market stability and price recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the prior quarter.

WhiteHorse Finance reported a net increase in net assets resulting from operations of approximately $22.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, which compares with a net increase of $8.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019.

WhiteHorse Finance’s net asset value was $300.2 million, or $14.61 per share, as of June 30, 2020, as compared with $284.7 million, or $13.86 per share, as of March 31, 2020.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of June 30, 2020, WhiteHorse Finance had cash and cash equivalents of $20.9 million, as compared with $28.1 million as of March 31, 2020, inclusive of restricted cash. As of June 30, 2020, the Company also had $57.8 million of undrawn capacity under its revolving credit facility.

Distributions

On June 2, 2020, the Company declared a distribution of $0.355 per share for the quarter ended June 30, 2020. The distribution was paid on July 3, 2020 to stockholders of record as of June 19, 2020, and marks the thirty-first consecutive quarterly distribution paid since the Company’s initial public offering with all distributions consistently paid at the quarterly rate of $0.355 per share.

Distributions are paid from taxable earnings and may include return of capital and/or capital gains. The specific tax characteristics of the distributions will be reported to stockholders on Form 1099-DIV after the end of the calendar year and in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Conference Call

WhiteHorse Finance will host a conference call to discuss its second quarter results at 2:00 p.m. ET on Monday, August 10, 2020. To access the teleconference, please dial 706-758-9224 (domestic and international) approximately 10 minutes before the teleconference’s scheduled start time and reference ID #3181299. Investors may also access the call on the investor relations portion of the Company’s website at www.whitehorsefinance.com.

If you are unable to access the live teleconference, a replay will be available beginning approximately two hours after the call’s completion through August 17, 2020. The teleconference replay can be accessed by dialing 404-537-3406 (domestic and international) and entering ID #3181299. A webcast replay will also be available on the investor relations portion of the Company’s website at www.whitehorsefinance.com.

About WhiteHorse Finance, Inc.

WhiteHorse Finance is a business development company that originates and invests in loans to privately held, lower middle market companies across a broad range of industries. The Company's investment activities are managed by H.I.G. WhiteHorse Advisers, LLC, an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, LLC, (“H.I.G. Capital”). H.I.G. Capital is a leading global alternative asset manager with $39 billion of capital under management⁽⁴⁾ across a number of funds focused on the small and mid-cap markets. For more information about H.I.G. Capital, please visit http://www.higcapital.com. For more information about the Company, please visit http://www.whitehorsefinance.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement made herein. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.

^{(4) Based on total capital commitments managed by H.I.G. Capital and affiliates.}

SCHEDULE 1

As a supplement to GAAP financial measures, the Company has provided information relating to core net investment income, which is a non-GAAP measure. This measure is provided in addition to, but not as a substitute for, net investment income determined in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s non-GAAP measures may differ from similar measures by other companies, even if similar terms are used to identify such measures. Core net investment income represents net investment income adjusted to exclude the net impact of costs associated with the refinancing of the Company’s indebtedness, the accrual of the capital gains incentive fee attributable to net realized and unrealized gains and losses, and excise or other income taxes related to such net realized gains and losses (net of incentive fees). There were no excise or other income taxes related to net realized gains and losses, nor did the Company refinance any of its indebtedness for the quarters ended June 30, 2020 and June 30, 2019. Additionally, there were no accruals for the capital gains incentive fee attributable to net realized and unrealized gains and losses for the three months ended June 30, 2020.

The following table provides a reconciliation of net investment income to core net investment income for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and June 30, 2019 (in thousands, except per share data):
 

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. 

Consolidated Schedule of Investments (Unaudited) 

June 30, 2020 

(in thousands)

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. 

Consolidated Schedule of Investments (Unaudited) - (continued) 

June 30, 2020 

(in thousands)