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3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023
Cover [Abstract]  
Entity Central Index Key 0001925309
Amendment Flag false
Securities Act File Number 814-01543
Document Type 10-Q
Entity Registrant Name Sixth Street Lending Partners
Entity Address, Address Line One 2100 McKinney Avenue
Entity Address, Address Line Two Suite 1500
Entity Address, City or Town Dallas
Entity Address, State or Province TX
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code 75201
City Area Code 469
Local Phone Number 621-3001
Entity Emerging Growth Company true
Entity Ex Transition Period false
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]  
Investment Objectives and Practices [Text Block]

Our Investment Framework

Our investment objective is to generate current income by targeting investments with favorable “risk-adjusted returns,” which are expected returns that are adjusted based on the levels of risk associated with the investments.

We seek to generate current income and long-term capital appreciation primarily by investing in U.S.-domiciled upper middle-market companies through direct originations of senior secured loans and, to a lesser extent, originations of mezzanine and unsecured loans and investments in corporate bonds, equity securities, and other instruments.

By “upper middle-market companies,” we mean companies that have annual EBITDA, which we believe is a useful proxy for cash flow, of greater than $75 million, although we may invest in smaller companies on occasion. “EBITDA” means a company’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization. We invest in first-lien debt, second-lien debt, mezzanine and unsecured debt and equity and other investments. Our first-lien debt may include stand-alone first-lien loans; “last out” first-lien loans, which are loans that have a secondary priority behind super-senior “first out” first-lien loans; “unitranche” loans, which are loans that combine features of first-lien, second-lien and mezzanine debt, generally in a first-lien position; and secured corporate bonds with similar features to these categories of first-lien loans. Our second-lien debt may include secured loans, and, to a lesser extent, secured corporate bonds, with a secondary priority behind first-lien debt.

We seek to create a portfolio over time that includes primarily senior secured investments by investing approximately $125 million to $300 million of capital, on average, across our core positions of upper middle-market companies.

The debt in which we invest typically is not rated by any rating agency, but if these instruments were rated, they would likely receive a rating of below investment grade (that is, below BBB- or Baa3), which is often referred to as “junk.

The companies in which we invest use our capital to support organic growth, acquisitions, market or product expansion and recapitalizations (including restructurings). As of March 31, 2023, the largest single investment based on fair value represented 11.7% of our total investment portfolio.

As of March 31, 2023, the average investment size in each of our portfolio companies was approximately $78.9 million based on fair value.

Through our Adviser, we consider potential investments utilizing a four-tiered investment framework and against our existing portfolio as a whole:

Business and sector selection. We will focus on companies with enterprise values above $750 million. When reviewing potential investments, we will seek to invest in businesses with high marginal cash flow, recurring revenue streams and where we believe credit

quality will improve over time. We will look for portfolio companies that we think have a sustainable competitive advantage in growing industries or distressed situations. We will also seek companies where our investment will have a low loan-to-value ratio. We currently do not limit our focus to any specific industry and we may invest in larger or smaller companies.

As of March 31, 2023, the largest industry represented 21.3% of our total investment portfolio based on fair value.

Investment Structuring. We focus on investing at the top of the capital structure and protecting that position. As of March 31, 2023, approximately 98.7% of our portfolio was invested in secured debt, including 98.7% in first-lien debt investments. We carefully perform diligence and structure investments to include strong investor covenants. As a result, we structure investments with a view to creating opportunities for early intervention in the event of non-performance or stress. In addition, we seek to retain effective voting control in investments over the loans or particular class of securities in which we invest through maintaining affirmative voting positions or negotiating consent rights that allow us to retain a blocking position. We also aim for our loans to mature on a medium term, between two to six years after origination. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, the weighted average term on new debt investment commitments in new portfolio companies was 5.5 years.

Deal Dynamics. We will focus on, among other deal dynamics, direct origination of investments, where we identify and lead the investment transaction. We seek transactions that are too small for the traditional high yield market. We look to invest in companies that value our commitment and ability to originate an investment that meets their goals and fits within their existing capital structure.

Risk Mitigation. We seek to mitigate non-credit-related risk on our returns in several ways, including call protection provisions to protect future interest income. As of March 31, 2023, we had call protection on 100% of our debt investments based on fair value, with weighted average call prices of 105.5% for the first year, 102.7% for the second year and 101.1% for the third year, in each case from the date of the initial investment. As of March 31, 2023, 100% of our debt investments based on fair value bore interest at floating rates, with 100% of these subject to interest rate floors, which we believe helps act as a portfolio-wide hedge against inflation.

Risk Factors [Table Text Block]

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

For information regarding factors that could affect our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, see the risk factors discussed in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.