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INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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Filed Pursuant to Rule 497
Registration Statement No. 333-203147

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(to Prospectus dated May 16, 2016)

LOGO

Up to 1,000,000 Shares
Common Stock



         We have entered into separate equity distribution agreements, each dated November 24, 2015, with Goldman, Sachs & Co., Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, each a "Sales Agent" and, collectively, the "Sales Agents," relating to the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The equity distribution agreements provide that we may offer and sell up to 1,000,000 shares of our common stock from time to time through the Sales Agents. Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be made in negotiated transactions or transactions that are deemed to be "at the market," as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including sales made directly on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") or similar securities exchange or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange, at prices related to the prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. See "Plan of Distribution." As of the date of this prospectus supplement, 432,784 shares of common stock remain available for sale under the equity distribution agreements.

         We are a principal investment firm primarily focused on providing customized debt and equity financing to lower middle market ("LMM") companies and debt capital to middle market ("Middle Market") companies. Our LMM companies generally have annual revenues between $10 million and $150 million, and our LMM portfolio investments generally range in size from $5 million to $50 million. Our Middle Market investments are made in businesses that are generally larger in size than our LMM portfolio companies, with annual revenues typically between $150 million and $1.5 billion, and our Middle Market investments generally range in size from $3 million to $15 million.

         The LMM and Middle Market securities in which we invest generally would be rated below investment grade if they were rated by rating agencies. Below investment grade securities, which are often referred to as "junk," 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 are illiquid.

         Our principal investment objective is to maximize our portfolio's total return by generating current income from our debt investments and capital appreciation from our equity and equity related investments, including warrants, convertible securities and other rights to acquire equity securities in a portfolio company.

         We are an internally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

         Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol "MAIN." On May 18, 2016, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NYSE was $31.85 per share, and the net asset value per share of our common stock on March 31, 2016 (the last date prior to the date of this prospectus supplement on which we determined our net asset value per share) was $21.18.

         Under the terms of the equity distribution agreements, the Sales Agents will receive a commission from us equal to up to 1.0% of the gross sales price of any shares of our common stock sold through the Sales Agents under the equity distribution agreements. The Sales Agents are not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of common stock, but will use their commercially reasonable efforts consistent with their sales and trading practices to sell the shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We may also sell shares of our common stock to a Sales Agent, as principal for its own respective account, at a price agreed upon at the time of sale. If we sell shares to a Sales Agent as principal, we will enter into a separate terms agreement with the applicable Sales Agent, setting forth the terms of such transaction, and we will describe the agreement in a separate prospectus supplement. See "Plan of Distribution" beginning on page S-11 of this prospectus supplement.

         Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk, and should be considered highly speculative. See "Risk Factors" beginning on page 14 of the accompanying prospectus to read about factors you should consider, including the risk of leverage and dilution, before investing in our common stock.

         This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain important information about us that a prospective investor should know before investing in our common stock. Please read this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus before investing and keep them for future reference. We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. This information is available free of charge by contacting us at 1300 Post Oak Boulevard, 8th Floor, Houston, Texas 77056 or by telephone at (713) 350-6000 or on our website at www.mainstcapital.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, and you should not consider that information to be part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains such information.

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

GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.

  RAYMOND JAMES   BAIRD

   

The date of this prospectus supplement is May 19, 2016


Table of Contents


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
  Page

Prospectus Supplement

Prospectus Summary

  S-1

Fees and Expenses

  S-8

Use of Proceeds

  S-10

Plan of Distribution

  S-11

Legal Matters

  S-12

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

  S-13

Available Information

  S-13

 

 
  Page

Prospectus

Prospectus Summary

  1

Fees and Expenses

  12

Risk Factors

  14

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

  36

Use of Proceeds

  37

Price Range of Common Stock and Distributions

  37

Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges

  43

Selected Financial Data

  44

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

  46

Senior Securities

  73

Business

  74

Portfolio Companies

  87

Management

  126

Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

  150

Control Persons and Principal Stockholders

  150

Sales of Common Stock Below Net Asset Value

  153

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

  157

Description of Common Stock

  158

Description of Our Preferred Stock

  165

Description of Our Warrants

  166

Description of Our Subscription Rights

  167

Description of Our Debt Securities

  168

Description of Our Units

  182

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations

  183

Regulation

  190

Plan of Distribution

  196

Custodian, Transfer and Distribution Paying Agent and Registrar

  197

Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices

  198

Legal Matters

  198

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

  198

Available Information

  198

Privacy Notice

  199

Index to Financial Statements

  F-1

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ABOUT THE PROSPECTUS

        This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the terms of this offering of common stock and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which provides more information about the common stock we may offer from time to time. To the extent the information contained in this prospectus supplement differs from the information contained in the accompanying prospectus, the information in this prospectus supplement shall control.

        You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Neither we nor the Sales Agents have authorized any other person to provide you with different information from that contained in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any shares of our common stock by any person in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful for that person to make such an offer or solicitation or to any person in any jurisdiction to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation. The information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is complete and accurate only as of their respective dates, regardless of the time of their delivery or sale of our common stock. This prospectus supplement supersedes the accompanying prospectus to the extent it contains information different from or additional to the information in that prospectus.

Forward-Looking Statements

        Information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. The matters described in the section titled "Risk Factors" in the accompanying prospectus and certain other factors noted throughout this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus constitute cautionary statements identifying important factors with respect to any such forward-looking statements, including certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements but advise you to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports that we may file in the future with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. We note that the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 does not apply to statements made in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

        This summary highlights some of the information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. It is not complete and may not contain all of the information that you may want to consider. To understand the terms of the common stock offered hereby, you should read the entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus carefully. Together, these documents describe the specific terms of the shares we are offering. You should carefully read the sections titled "Selected Financial Data," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," "Financial Statements" and "Risk Factors," as well as the documents identified in the section titled "Available Information," in the accompanying prospectus.

Organization

        Main Street Capital Corporation ("MSCC") is a principal investment firm primarily focused on providing customized debt and equity financing to lower middle market ("LMM") companies and debt capital to middle market ("Middle Market") companies. The portfolio investments of MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries are typically made to support management buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings, refinancings and acquisitions of companies that operate in diverse industry sectors. MSCC seeks to partner with entrepreneurs, business owners and management teams and generally provides "one stop" financing alternatives within its LMM portfolio. MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries invest primarily in secured debt investments, equity investments, warrants and other securities of LMM companies based in the United States and in secured debt investments of Middle Market companies generally headquartered in the United States.

        MSCC was formed in March 2007 to operate as an internally managed business development company ("BDC") under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). MSCC wholly owns several investment funds, including Main Street Mezzanine Fund, LP ("MSMF") and Main Street Capital II, LP ("MSC II" and, together with MSMF, the "Funds"), and each of their general partners. The Funds are each licensed as a Small Business Investment Company ("SBIC") by the United States Small Business Administration ("SBA"). Because MSCC is internally managed, all of the executive officers and other employees are employed by MSCC. Therefore, MSCC does not pay any external investment advisory fees but instead directly incurs the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals.

        MSC Adviser I, LLC (the "External Investment Manager") was formed in November 2013 as a wholly owned subsidiary of MSCC to provide investment management and other services to parties other than MSCC and its subsidiaries or their portfolio companies ("External Parties") and receive fee income for such services. MSCC has been granted no-action relief by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to allow the External Investment Manager to register as a registered investment adviser ("RIA") under Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act"). Since the External Investment Manager conducts all of its investment management activities for External Parties, it is accounted for as a portfolio investment of MSCC and is not included as a consolidated subsidiary of MSCC in MSCC's consolidated financial statements.

        MSCC has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company ("RIC") under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). As a result, MSCC generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gains that it distributes to its stockholders.

        MSCC has certain direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries that have elected to be taxable entities (the "Taxable Subsidiaries"). The primary purpose of the Taxable Subsidiaries is to permit MSCC to hold equity investments in portfolio companies which are "pass-through" entities for tax purposes. The External Investment Manager is also a direct wholly owned subsidiary that has elected to

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be a taxable entity. The Taxable Subsidiaries and the External Investment Manager are each taxed at their normal corporate tax rates based on their taxable income.

        Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the terms "we," "us," "our," the "Company" and "Main Street" refer to MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries, which include the Funds and the Taxable Subsidiaries.

        The following diagram depicts Main Street's organizational structure:

GRAPHIC


*
Each of the Taxable Subsidiaries is directly or indirectly wholly owned by MSCC.

**
Accounted for as a portfolio investment at fair value, as opposed to a consolidated subsidiary.

Overview

        Our principal investment objective is to maximize our portfolio's total return by generating current income from our debt investments and capital appreciation from our equity and equity related investments, including warrants, convertible securities and other rights to acquire equity securities in a portfolio company. Our LMM companies generally have annual revenues between $10 million and $150 million, and our LMM portfolio investments generally range in size from $5 million to $50 million. Our Middle Market investments are made in businesses that are generally larger in size than our LMM portfolio companies, with annual revenues typically between $150 million and $1.5 billion, and our Middle Market investments generally range in size from $3 million to $15 million. Our private loan ("Private Loan") portfolio investments are primarily debt securities which have been originated through strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis. Private Loan investments are typically similar in size, structure, terms and conditions to investments we hold in our LMM portfolio and Middle Market portfolio.

        We seek to fill the financing gap for LMM businesses, which, historically, have had more limited access to financing from commercial banks and other traditional sources. The underserved nature of the LMM creates the opportunity for us to meet the financing needs of LMM companies while also negotiating favorable transaction terms and equity participations. Our ability to invest across a company's capital structure, from secured loans to equity securities, allows us to offer portfolio companies a comprehensive suite of financing options, or a "one stop" financing solution. Providing customized, "one stop" financing solutions is important to LMM portfolio companies. We generally seek to partner directly with entrepreneurs, management teams and business owners in making our investments. Our LMM portfolio debt investments are generally secured by a first lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between five and seven years from the original investment date.

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        Our Middle Market portfolio investments primarily consist of direct investments in or secondary purchases of interest bearing debt securities in privately held companies that are generally larger in size than the companies included in our LMM portfolio. Our Middle Market portfolio debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have an expected duration of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

        Our Private Loan portfolio investments are primarily debt securities in privately held companies which have been originated through strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis, and are often referred to in the debt markets as "club deals." Private Loan investments are typically similar in size, structure, terms and conditions to investments we hold in our LMM portfolio and Middle Market portfolio. Our Private Loan portfolio debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

        Our other portfolio ("Other Portfolio") investments primarily consist of investments which are not consistent with the typical profiles for our LMM, Middle Market or Private Loan portfolio investments, including investments which may be managed by third parties. In our Other Portfolio, we may incur indirect fees and expenses in connection with investments managed by third parties, such as investments in other investment companies or private funds.

        Our external asset management business is conducted through the External Investment Manager. The External Investment Manager earns management fees based on the assets of the funds under management and may earn incentive fees, or a carried interest, based on the performance of the funds managed. We have entered into an agreement with the External Investment Manager to share employees in connection with its asset management business generally, and specifically for its relationship with HMS Income Fund, Inc. ("HMS Income"). Through this agreement, we share employees with the External Investment Manager, including their related infrastructure, business relationships, management expertise and capital raising capabilities.

        Our portfolio investments are generally made through MSCC and the Funds. MSCC and the Funds share the same investment strategies and criteria, although they are subject to different regulatory regimes (see "Regulation" in the accompanying prospectus). An investor's return in MSCC will depend, in part, on the Funds' investment returns as they are wholly owned subsidiaries of MSCC.

        The level of new portfolio investment activity will fluctuate from period to period based upon our view of the current economic fundamentals, our ability to identify new investment opportunities that meet our investment criteria, and our ability to consummate the identified opportunities. The level of new investment activity, and associated interest and fee income, will directly impact future investment income. In addition, the level of dividends paid by portfolio companies and the portion of our portfolio debt investments on non-accrual status will directly impact future investment income. While we intend to grow our portfolio and our investment income over the long term, our growth and our operating results may be more limited during depressed economic periods. However, we intend to appropriately manage our cost structure and liquidity position based on applicable economic conditions and our investment outlook. The level of realized gains or losses and unrealized appreciation or depreciation on our investments will also fluctuate depending upon portfolio activity, economic conditions and the performance of our individual portfolio companies. The changes in realized gains and losses and unrealized appreciation or depreciation could have a material impact on our operating results.

        Because we are internally managed, we do not pay any external investment advisory fees, but instead directly incur the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals. We believe that our internally managed structure provides us with a beneficial operating expense structure when compared to other publicly traded and privately held investment firms which are externally managed, and our internally managed structure allows us the opportunity to leverage our non-interest operating expenses as we grow our Investment Portfolio.

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        During May 2012, we entered into an investment sub-advisory agreement with HMS Adviser, LP ("HMS Adviser"), which is the investment advisor to HMS Income, a non-publicly traded BDC, to provide certain investment advisory services to HMS Adviser. In December 2013, after obtaining required no-action relief from the SEC to allow us to own a registered investment adviser, we assigned the sub-advisory agreement to the External Investment Manager since the fees received from such arrangement could otherwise have negative consequences on our ability to meet the source-of-income requirement necessary for us to maintain our RIC tax treatment. Under the investment sub-advisory agreement, the External Investment Manager is entitled to 50% of the base management fee and the incentive fees earned by HMS Adviser under its advisory agreement with HMS Income.

        During April 2014, we received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting co-investments by us and HMS Income in certain negotiated transactions where co-investing would otherwise be prohibited under the 1940 Act. We have made, and in the future intend to continue to make, such co-investments with HMS Income in accordance with the conditions of the order. The order requires, among other things, that we and the External Investment Manager consider whether each such investment opportunity is appropriate for HMS Income and, if it is appropriate, to propose an allocation of the investment opportunity between us and HMS Income. Because the External Investment Manager may receive performance-based fee compensation from HMS Income, this may provide it an incentive to allocate opportunities to HMS Income instead of us. However, we and the External Investment Manager have policies and procedures in place to avoid this conflict.

        You should be aware that investments in our portfolio companies carry a number of risks including, but not limited to, investing in companies which may have limited operating histories and financial resources and other risks common to investing in below investment grade debt and equity investments in private, smaller companies. Please see "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Investments" in the accompanying prospectus for a more complete discussion of the risks involved with investing in our portfolio companies.

        Our principal executive offices are located at 1300 Post Oak Boulevard, 8th Floor, Houston, Texas 77056, and our telephone number is (713) 350-6000. We maintain a website at http://www.mainstcapital.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, and you should not consider that information to be part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

Business Strategies

        Our principal investment objective is to maximize our portfolio's total return by generating current income from our debt investments and realizing capital appreciation from our equity and equity-related investments, including warrants, convertible securities and other rights to acquire equity securities in a portfolio company. We have adopted the following business strategies to achieve our investment objective. Please see "Business—Business Strategies" in the accompanying prospectus for a more complete discussion of our business strategies.

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Investment Criteria

        Our investment team has identified the following investment criteria that it believes are important in evaluating prospective portfolio companies. Our investment team uses these criteria in evaluating investment opportunities. However, not all of these criteria have been, or will be, met in connection with each of our investments. Please see "Business—Investment Criteria" in the accompanying prospectus for a more complete discussion of our investment criteria.

Status of our Offering

        On November 24, 2015, we established the at-the-market program to which this prospectus supplement relates and through which we may sell, from time to time and at our sole discretion, up to 1,000,000 shares of our common stock. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we have sold 567,216 shares of our common stock for net proceeds of approximately $14.1 million, after deducting commissions to the Sales Agents on shares sold and offering costs, under the at-the-market program. As a result, 432,784 shares of our common stock remain available for sale under the at-the-market program.

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The Offering

Common stock offered by us   Up to 1,000,000 shares of our common stock.

Manner of offering

 

"At the market offering" that may be made from time to time through Goldman, Sachs & Co., Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, each a "Sales Agent" and, collectively, "Sales Agents," using commercially reasonable efforts. See "Plan of Distribution."

Use of proceeds

 

If we sell the 432,784 shares of common stock that remain available for sale under the equity distribution agreements with the Sales Agents, at a price of $31.85 per share (the last reported sale price of our common stock on May 18, 2016), we anticipate that our net proceeds, after deducting the sales agent commissions and estimated expenses payable by us will be approximately $13.5 million.

 

 

We intend to initially use the net proceeds from this offering to repay outstanding debt borrowed under our Credit Facility. However, through re-borrowing of the initial repayments under our Credit Facility, we intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to make investments in accordance with our investment objective and strategies described in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, to make investments in marketable securities and idle funds investments, which may include investments in secured intermediate term bank debt, rated debt securities and other income producing investments, to pay our operating expenses and other cash obligations, and for general corporate purposes.

 

 

On May 18, 2016, we had approximately $265.0 million outstanding under our Credit Facility. Our Credit Facility matures in September 2020, unless extended, and bears interest, at our election, on a per annum basis equal to (A)(i) the applicable LIBOR rate plus 1.875% or (ii) the applicable base rate plus 0.875% so long as we maintain an investment grade rating and satisfy certain agreed upon excess collateral and leverage requirements, (B) 0.125% higher in each case so long as we maintain an investment grade rating but not the agreed upon excess collateral and/or leverage requirements, and (C) 0.375% higher in each case so long as we do not maintain an investment grade rating. Amounts repaid under our Credit Facility will remain available for future borrowings.

 

 

See "Use of Proceeds" in this prospectus supplement for more information.

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Dividends and distributions   Our dividends and other distributions, if any, will be determined by our Board of Directors from time to time.

 

 

Our ability to declare dividends depends on our earnings, our overall financial condition (including our liquidity position), maintenance of our RIC status and such other factors as our Board of Directors may deem relevant from time to time.

 

 

When we make distributions, we are required to determine the extent to which such distributions are paid out of current or accumulated earnings, recognized capital gains or capital. To the extent there is a return of capital (a distribution of the stockholders' invested capital), investors will be required to reduce their basis in our stock for federal tax purposes. In the future, our distributions may include a return of capital.

Taxation

 

MSCC has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. Accordingly, we generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gains that we distribute to our stockholders as dividends. To maintain our qualification as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we must meet specified source-of-income and asset diversification requirements and distribute annually at least 90% of our net ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any.

 

 

Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next tax year and pay a 4% U.S. federal excise tax on such income. Any such carryover taxable income must be distributed through a dividend declared prior to filing the final tax return related to the year which generated such taxable income. See "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations" in the accompanying prospectus.

Risk factors

 

See "Risk Factors" beginning on page 14 of the accompanying prospectus for a discussion of risks you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock.

New York Stock Exchange symbol

 

"MAIN"

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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 this offering will bear directly or indirectly. We caution you that some of the percentages indicated in the table below are estimates and may vary. Except where the context suggests otherwise, whenever this prospectus supplement contains a reference to fees or expenses paid by "you," "us" or "Main Street," or that "we" will pay fees or expenses, stockholders will indirectly bear such fees or expenses as investors in us.

Stockholder Transaction Expenses:

       

Sales load (as a percentage of offering price)

    1.00% (1)

Offering expenses (as a percentage of offering price)

    1.09% (2)

Dividend reinvestment plan expenses

    —% (3)

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

    2.09%  

Annual Expenses (as a percentage of net assets attributable to common stock):

       

Operating expenses

    2.86% (4)

Interest payments on borrowed funds

    3.10% (5)

Income tax expense

    0.00% (6)

Acquired fund fees and expenses

    0.30% (7)

Total annual expenses

    6.26%  

(1)
Represents the maximum agent commission with respect to the shares of our common stock sold by us in this offering. There is no guarantee that there will be any sales of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

(2)
The percentage reflects estimated offering expenses payable by us of approximately $150,000 for the estimated duration of this offering.

(3)
The expenses of administering our dividend reinvestment plan are included in operating expenses.

(4)
Operating expenses in this table represent the estimated expenses of MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries.

(5)
Interest payments on borrowed funds represent our estimated annual interest payments on borrowed funds based on current debt levels as adjusted for projected increases (but not decreases) in debt levels over the next twelve months.

(6)
Income tax expense relates to the accrual of (a) deferred tax provision (benefit) on the net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) from portfolio investments held in Taxable Subsidiaries and (b) excise, state and other taxes. Deferred taxes are non-cash in nature and may vary significantly from period to period. We are required to include deferred taxes in calculating our annual expenses even though deferred taxes are not currently payable or receivable. Due to the variable nature of deferred tax expense, which can be a large portion of the income tax expense, and the difficulty in providing an estimate for future periods, this income tax expense estimate is based upon the actual amount of income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2015. However, since the income tax benefit at December 31, 2015 was $8.7 million, which would have resulted in a (0.81)% of net assets attributable to common stock, 0.00% was used.

(7)
Acquired fund fees and expenses represent the estimated indirect expense incurred due to investments in other investment companies and private funds.

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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. In calculating the following expense amounts, we have assumed we would have no additional leverage and that our annual operating expenses would remain at the levels set forth in the table above, and that you would pay a sales load of up to 1.0% (the commission to be paid by us with respect to common stock sold by us in this offering).

 
  1 Year   3 Years   5 Years   10 Years  

You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5.0% annual return

  $ 83   $ 205   $ 324   $ 609  

        The example 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. While the example assumes, as required by the SEC, a 5.0% annual return, our performance will vary and may result in a return greater or less than 5.0%. In addition, while the example assumes reinvestment of all dividends 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 (i) the market price per share of our common stock at the close of trading on the dividend payment date in the event that we use newly issued shares to satisfy the share requirements of the dividend reinvestment plan or (ii) the average purchase price of all shares of common stock purchased by the administrator of the dividend reinvestment plan in the event that shares are purchased in the open market to satisfy the share requirements of the dividend reinvestment plan, which may be at, above or below net asset value. See "Dividend Reinvestment Plan" in the accompanying prospectus for additional information regarding our dividend reinvestment plan.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

        Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be made in negotiated transactions or transactions that are deemed to be "at the market" as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act, including sales made directly on the NYSE or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange. There is no guarantee that there will be any sales of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Actual sales, if any, of our common stock under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be less than as set forth in this paragraph depending on, among other things, the market price of our common stock at the time of any such sale. As a result, the actual net proceeds we receive may be more or less than the amount of net proceeds estimated in this prospectus supplement. Assuming the sale of all 432,784 shares of common stock offered under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus that remain available for sale under the equity distribution agreements with the Sales Agents at a price of $31.85 per share (the last reported sales price of our common stock on May 18, 2016), we estimate that the net proceeds of this offering will be approximately $13.5 million after deducting the estimated sales commission payable to the Sales Agent and our estimated offering expenses.

        We intend to initially use the net proceeds from this offering to repay outstanding debt borrowed under our Credit Facility. However, through re-borrowing of the initial repayments under our Credit Facility, we intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to make investments in accordance with our investment objective and strategies described in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, to make investments in marketable securities and idle funds investments, which may include investments in secured intermediate term bank debt, rated debt securities and other income producing investments, to pay our operating expenses and other cash obligations, and for general corporate purposes. Our ability to achieve our investment objective may be limited to the extent that the net proceeds from an offering, pending full investment, are held in interest bearing deposits or other short-term instruments. See "Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Securities—We may be unable to invest a significant portion of the net proceeds from an offering or from exiting an investment or other capital on acceptable terms, which could harm our financial condition and operating results" in the accompanying prospectus.

        On May 18, 2016, we had approximately $265.0 million outstanding under our Credit Facility. Our Credit Facility matures in September 2020, unless extended, and bears interest, at our election, on a per annum basis equal to (A)(i) the applicable LIBOR rate plus 1.875% or (ii) the applicable base rate plus 0.875% so long as we maintain an investment grade rating and satisfy certain agreed upon excess collateral and leverage requirements, (B) 0.125% higher in each case so long as we maintain an investment grade rating but not the agreed upon excess collateral and/or leverage requirements, and (C) 0.375% higher in each case so long as we do not maintain an investment grade rating. Amounts repaid under our Credit Facility will remain available for future borrowings.

        Affiliates of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Sales Agents in this offering, act as lenders and/or agents under our Credit Facility. As described above, we intend to use net proceeds of this offering to repay the outstanding indebtedness under this Credit Facility, and such affiliates therefore may receive a portion of the proceeds from this offering through the repayment of those borrowings. See "Plan of Distribution" below.

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

        We have entered into separate equity distribution agreements, each dated November 24, 2015, with each of Goldman, Sachs & Co., Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, under which each will act as our sales agent (each, a "Sales Agent" and, collectively, the "Sales Agents") in connection with the offer and sale of shares of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Upon written instructions from us, a Sales Agent will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its sales and trading practices to sell, as our sales agent, our common stock under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the respective equity distribution agreement. We will instruct each Sales Agent as to the amount of common stock to be sold by it. We may instruct the Sales Agent not to sell common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any instruction. We or the Sales Agent may suspend the offering of shares of common stock upon proper notice and subject to other conditions.

        Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be made in negotiated transactions or transactions that are deemed to be "at the market," as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act, including sales made directly on the NYSE or similar securities exchange or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange at prices related to the prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.

        The Sales Agent will provide written confirmation of a sale to us no later than the opening of the trading day on the NYSE following each trading day in which shares of our common stock are sold under the equity distribution agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares of common stock sold on the preceding day, the net proceeds to us and the compensation payable by us to the Sales Agent in connection with the sales.

        Under the terms of the equity distribution agreements, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated will be entitled to compensation equal to up to 1.0% of the gross sales price of shares of our common stock sold through it as Sales Agent. We estimate that the total expenses for the offering, excluding compensation payable to the Sales Agents under the terms of each equity distribution agreement, will be approximately $250,000 (which includes up to $7,500 per fiscal quarter in reimbursement of the Sales Agents' aggregate reasonable legal fees and expenses of counsel).

        Settlement for sales of shares of common stock will occur on the third trading day following the date on which such sales are made, or on some other date that is agreed upon by us and the Sales Agent in connection with a particular transaction, in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

        Under the terms of the equity distribution agreements, we also may sell shares of our common stock to the Sales Agents as principal for their own accounts at a price agreed upon at the time of sale. The Sales Agents may offer the common stock sold to them as principals from time to time through public or private transactions at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at fixed prices, at negotiated prices, at various prices determined at the time of sale or at prices related to prevailing market prices. If we sell shares to a Sales Agent as principal, we will enter into a separate terms agreement with the applicable Sales Agent, setting forth the terms of such transaction, and we will describe the agreement in a separate prospectus supplement.

        We will report at least quarterly the number of shares of our common stock sold through the Sales Agents under the equity distribution agreements and the net proceeds to us.

        In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, the Sales Agents may be deemed to be an "underwriter" within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation of the Sales Agent may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to provide

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indemnification and contribution to the Sales Agents with respect to certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

        The offering of our shares of common stock pursuant to the equity distribution agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all common stock subject to the equity distribution agreement or (ii) the termination of the equity distribution agreements as permitted therein.

Conflicts of Interest

        Affiliates of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Sales Agents in this offering, act as lenders and/or agents under our Credit Facility. Certain of the net proceeds from the sale of our common stock, not including selling compensation, may be paid to such affiliates of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. in connection with the repayment of debt owed under our Credit Facility. As a result, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and/or their affiliates may receive more than 5% of the net proceeds of this offering, not including selling compensation.

        The Sales Agents and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. The Sales Agents and/or their affiliates from time to time provide and may in the future provide investment banking, commercial banking and financial advisory services to us, for which they have received and may receive customary compensation.

        In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the Sales Agents and their respective affiliates, officers, directors and employees may purchase, sell or hold a broad array of investments and actively traded securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and trading activities may involve or relate to our assets, securities and/or instruments (directly, as collateral securing other obligations or otherwise) and/or persons and entities with relationships with us. The Sales Agents and their respective affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such assets, securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they should acquire, long and/or short positions in such assets, securities and instruments. In addition, the Sales Agents and/or their affiliates may from time to time refer investment banking clients to us as potential portfolio investments. If we invest in those clients, we may utilize net proceeds from this offering to fund such investments, and the referring Sales Agent or its affiliate may receive placement fees from its client in connection with such financing, which placement fees may be paid out of the amount funded by us.

        The addresses of the Sales Agents are: Goldman, Sachs & Co., 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282; Raymond James & Associates, Inc., 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716; and Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.

LEGAL MATTERS

        Certain legal matters regarding the shares of common stock offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, Washington D.C., and certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for the Sales Agents by Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, New York, New York.

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INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

        The audited consolidated financial statements, financial highlights, Schedule 12-14 and the schedule of Senior Securities of Main Street Capital Corporation, included in the accompanying prospectus have been so included in reliance upon the reports of Grant Thornton LLP, independent registered public accountants, as stated in their reports appearing herein. Grant Thornton LLP's principal business address is Grant Thornton Tower, 171 North Clark, Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois, 60601.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

        We have filed with the SEC a universal shelf registration statement on Form N-2, together with all amendments and related exhibits, under the Securities Act, with respect to our shares of common stock offered by this prospectus supplement. The registration statement contains additional information about us and our shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus supplement.

        We file with or submit to the SEC annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information meeting the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You may inspect and copy these reports, proxy statements and other information, as well as the registration statement and related exhibits and schedules, at the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information filed electronically by us with the SEC, which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Copies of these reports, proxy and information statements and other information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC's Public Reference Section, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.

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PROSPECTUS

$1,500,000,000

LOGO

Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Subscription Rights
Debt Securities
Units



           We may offer, from time to time in one or more offerings, up to $1,500,000,000 of our common stock, preferred stock, warrants representing rights to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock, or debt securities, subscription rights, debt securities or units, which we refer to, collectively, as the "securities." Our securities may be offered at prices and on terms to be disclosed in one or more supplements to this prospectus. The offering price per share of our common stock, less any underwriting commissions or discounts, will not be less than the net asset value per share of our common stock at the time of the offering, except (i) with the requisite approval of our common stockholders or (ii) under such other circumstances as the Securities and Exchange Commission may permit. We did not seek stockholder authorization to issue common stock at a price below net asset value per share at our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders because our common stock price per share has been trading significantly above the current net asset value per share of our common stock, but we may seek such authorization at future Annual Meetings or Special Meetings of Stockholders. Sales of common stock at prices below net asset value per share dilute the interests of existing stockholders, have the effect of reducing our net asset value per share and may reduce our market price per share. In addition, we have received stockholder approval to issue warrants, options or rights to subscribe for, convert to, or purchase shares of our common stock at a price per share below the net asset value per share subject to the applicable requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940. There is no expiration date on our ability to issue such warrants, options, rights or convertible securities based on this stockholder approval. Moreover, continuous sales of common stock below net asset value may have a negative impact on total returns and could have a negative impact on the market price of our shares of common stock. See "Sales of Common Stock Below Net Asset Value."

           Shares of closed-end investment companies such as us frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value. This risk is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. We cannot predict whether our common stock will trade above, at or below net asset value. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest in our common stock.

           Our securities may be offered directly to one or more purchasers through agents designated from time to time by us, or to or through underwriters or dealers. The prospectus supplement relating to the offering will identify any agents or underwriters involved in the sale of our securities, and will disclose any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between us and our agents or underwriters or among our underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. See "Plan of Distribution." We may not sell any of our securities through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities, which must be delivered to each purchaser at, or prior to, the earlier of delivery of a confirmation of sale or delivery of the securities.

           We are a principal investment firm primarily focused on providing customized debt and equity financing to lower middle market ("LMM") companies and debt capital to middle market ("Middle Market") companies. Our LMM companies generally have annual revenues between $10 million and $150 million, and our LMM portfolio investments generally range in size from $5 million to $50 million. Our Middle Market investments are made in businesses that are generally larger in size than our LMM portfolio companies, with annual revenues typically between $150 million and $1.5 billion, and our Middle Market investments generally range in size from $3 million to $15 million.

           The LMM and Middle Market securities in which we invest generally would be rated below investment grade if they were rated by rating agencies. Below investment grade securities, which are often referred to as "junk," 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 are illiquid.

           Our principal investment objective is to maximize our portfolio's total return by generating current income from our debt investments and capital appreciation from our equity and equity related investments, including warrants, convertible securities and other rights to acquire equity securities in a portfolio company.

           We are an internally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

           Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "MAIN." On May 13, 2016, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NYSE was $31.76 per share, and the net asset value per share of our common stock on March 31, 2016 (the last date prior to the date of this prospectus on which we determined our net asset value per share) was $21.18.



           Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk, and should be considered highly speculative. See "Risk Factors" beginning on page 14 to read about factors you should consider, including the risk of leverage and dilution, before investing in our securities.

           This prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement contain important information about us that a prospective investor should know before investing in our securities. Please read this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement before investing and keep them for future reference. We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. This information is available free of charge by contacting us at 1300 Post Oak Boulevard, 8th Floor, Houston, Texas 77056 or by telephone at (713) 350-6000 or on our website at www.mainstcapital.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider that information to be part of this prospectus. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains such information.

           Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission, nor any other regulatory body, 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.



The date of this prospectus is May 16, 2016


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
  Page  

Prospectus Summary

    1  

Fees and Expenses

    12  

Risk Factors

    14  

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

    36  

Use of Proceeds

    37  

Price Range of Common Stock and Distributions

    37  

Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges

    43  

Selected Financial Data

    44  

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

    46  

Senior Securities

    73  

Business

    74  

Portfolio Companies

    87  

Management

    126  

Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

    150  

Control Persons and Principal Stockholders

    150  

Sales of Common Stock Below Net Asset Value

    153  

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

    157  

Description of Common Stock

    158  

Description of Our Preferred Stock

    165  

Description of Our Warrants

    166  

Description of Our Subscription Rights

    167  

Description of Our Debt Securities

    168  

Description of Our Units

    182  

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations

    183  

Regulation

    190  

Plan of Distribution

    196  

Custodian, Transfer and Distribution Paying Agent and Registrar

    197  

Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices

    198  

Legal Matters

    198  

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    198  

Available Information

    198  

Privacy Notice

    199  

Index to Financial Statements

    F-1  

        This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or 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 securities on terms to be determined at the time of the offering. 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. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. To the extent required by law, we will amend or supplement the information contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement to reflect any material changes to such information subsequent to the date of the prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and prior to the completion of any offering pursuant to the prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement. Please carefully read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under "Available Information" and "Risk Factors" before you make an investment decision.


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        No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus or any accompanying supplement to this prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representations not contained in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement as if we had authorized it. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any security other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do they constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. The information contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement is accurate as of the dates on their covers.


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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 the entire prospectus and any prospectus supplement carefully, including the section entitled "Risk Factors." Yield information contained in this prospectus related to debt investments in our investment portfolio is not intended to approximate a return on your investment in us and does not take into account other aspects of our business, including our operating and other expenses, or other costs incurred by you in connection with your investment in us.

Organization

        Main Street Capital Corporation ("MSCC") is a principal investment firm primarily focused on providing customized debt and equity financing to lower middle market ("LMM") companies and debt capital to middle market ("Middle Market") companies. The portfolio investments of MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries are typically made to support management buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings, refinancings and acquisitions of companies that operate in diverse industry sectors. MSCC seeks to partner with entrepreneurs, business owners and management teams and generally provides "one stop" financing alternatives within its LMM portfolio. MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries invest primarily in secured debt investments, equity investments, warrants and other securities of LMM companies based in the United States and in secured debt investments of Middle Market companies generally headquartered in the United States.

        MSCC was formed in March 2007 to operate as an internally managed business development company ("BDC") under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). MSCC wholly owns several investment funds, including Main Street Mezzanine Fund, LP ("MSMF") and Main Street Capital II, LP ("MSC II" and, together with MSMF, the "Funds"), and each of their general partners. The Funds are each licensed as a Small Business Investment Company ("SBIC") by the United States Small Business Administration ("SBA"). Because MSCC is internally managed, all of the executive officers and other employees are employed by MSCC. Therefore, MSCC does not pay any external investment advisory fees but instead directly incurs the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals.

        MSC Adviser I, LLC (the "External Investment Manager") was formed in November 2013 as a wholly owned subsidiary of MSCC to provide investment management and other services to parties other than MSCC and its subsidiaries or their portfolio companies ("External Parties") and receive fee income for such services. MSCC has been granted no-action relief by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to allow the External Investment Manager to register as a registered investment adviser ("RIA") under Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act"). Since the External Investment Manager conducts all of its investment management activities for External Parties, it is accounted for as a portfolio investment of MSCC and is not included as a consolidated subsidiary of MSCC in MSCC's consolidated financial statements.

        MSCC has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company ("RIC") under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). As a result, MSCC generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gains that it distributes to its stockholders.

        MSCC has certain direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries that have elected to be taxable entities (the "Taxable Subsidiaries"). The primary purpose of the Taxable Subsidiaries is to permit MSCC to hold equity investments in portfolio companies which are "pass-through" entities for tax purposes. The External Investment Manager is also a direct wholly owned subsidiary that has elected to be a taxable entity. The Taxable Subsidiaries and the External Investment Manager are each taxed at their normal corporate tax rates based on their taxable income.

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        Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the terms "we," "us," "our," the "Company" and "Main Street" refer to MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries, which include the Funds and the Taxable Subsidiaries.

        The following diagram depicts Main Street's organizational structure:

GRAPHIC


*
Each of the Taxable Subsidiaries is directly or indirectly wholly owned by MSCC.

**
Accounted for as a portfolio investment at fair value, as opposed to a consolidated subsidiary.

Overview

        Our principal investment objective is to maximize our portfolio's total return by generating current income from our debt investments and capital appreciation from our equity and equity related investments, including warrants, convertible securities and other rights to acquire equity securities in a portfolio company. Our LMM companies generally have annual revenues between $10 million and $150 million, and our LMM portfolio investments generally range in size from $5 million to $50 million. Our Middle Market investments are made in businesses that are generally larger in size than our LMM portfolio companies, with annual revenues typically between $150 million and $1.5 billion, and our Middle Market investments generally range in size from $3 million to $15 million. Our private loan ("Private Loan") portfolio investments are primarily debt securities which have been originated through strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis. Private Loan investments are typically similar in size, structure, terms and conditions to investments we hold in our LMM portfolio and Middle Market portfolio.

        We seek to fill the financing gap for LMM businesses, which, historically, have had more limited access to financing from commercial banks and other traditional sources. The underserved nature of the LMM creates the opportunity for us to meet the financing needs of LMM companies while also negotiating favorable transaction terms and equity participations. Our ability to invest across a company's capital structure, from secured loans to equity securities, allows us to offer portfolio companies a comprehensive suite of financing options, or a "one stop" financing solution. Providing customized, "one stop" financing solutions is important to LMM portfolio companies. We generally seek to partner directly with entrepreneurs, management teams and business owners in making our investments. Our LMM portfolio debt investments are generally secured by a first lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between five and seven years from the original investment date.

        Our Middle Market portfolio investments primarily consist of direct investments in or secondary purchases of interest bearing debt securities in privately held companies that are generally larger in size than the companies included in our LMM portfolio. Our Middle Market portfolio debt investments are

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generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have an expected duration of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

        Our Private Loan portfolio investments are primarily debt securities in privately held companies which have been originated through strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis, and are often referred to in the debt markets as "club deals." Private Loan investments are typically similar in size, structure, terms and conditions to investments we hold in our LMM portfolio and Middle Market portfolio. Our Private Loan portfolio debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

        Our other portfolio ("Other Portfolio") investments primarily consist of investments which are not consistent with the typical profiles for our LMM, Middle Market or Private Loan portfolio investments, including investments which may be managed by third parties. In our Other Portfolio, we may incur indirect fees and expenses in connection with investments managed by third parties, such as investments in other investment companies or private funds.

        Our external asset management business is conducted through the External Investment Manager. The External Investment Manager earns management fees based on the assets of the funds under management and may earn incentive fees, or a carried interest, based on the performance of the funds managed. We have entered into an agreement with the External Investment Manager to share employees in connection with its asset management business generally, and specifically for its relationship with HMS Income Fund, Inc. ("HMS Income"). Through this agreement, we share employees with the External Investment Manager, including their related infrastructure, business relationships, management expertise and capital raising capabilities.

        Our portfolio investments are generally made through MSCC and the Funds. MSCC and the Funds share the same investment strategies and criteria, although they are subject to different regulatory regimes (see "Regulation"). An investor's return in MSCC will depend, in part, on the Funds' investment returns as they are wholly owned subsidiaries of MSCC.

        The level of new portfolio investment activity will fluctuate from period to period based upon our view of the current economic fundamentals, our ability to identify new investment opportunities that meet our investment criteria, and our ability to consummate the identified opportunities. The level of new investment activity, and associated interest and fee income, will directly impact future investment income. In addition, the level of dividends paid by portfolio companies and the portion of our portfolio debt investments on non-accrual status will directly impact future investment income. While we intend to grow our portfolio and our investment income over the long term, our growth and our operating results may be more limited during depressed economic periods. However, we intend to appropriately manage our cost structure and liquidity position based on applicable economic conditions and our investment outlook. The level of realized gains or losses and unrealized appreciation or depreciation on our investments will also fluctuate depending upon portfolio activity, economic conditions and the performance of our individual portfolio companies. The changes in realized gains and losses and unrealized appreciation or depreciation could have a material impact on our operating results.

        Because we are internally managed, we do not pay any external investment advisory fees, but instead directly incur the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals. We believe that our internally managed structure provides us with a beneficial operating expense structure when compared to other publicly traded and privately held investment firms which are externally managed, and our internally managed structure allows us the opportunity to leverage our non-interest operating expenses as we grow our Investment Portfolio.

        During May 2012, we entered into an investment sub-advisory agreement with HMS Adviser, LP ("HMS Adviser"), which is the investment advisor to HMS Income, a non-publicly traded BDC, to

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provide certain investment advisory services to HMS Adviser. In December 2013, after obtaining required no-action relief from the SEC to allow us to own a registered investment adviser, we assigned the sub-advisory agreement to the External Investment Manager since the fees received from such arrangement could otherwise have negative consequences on our ability to meet the source-of-income requirement necessary for us to maintain our RIC tax treatment. Under the investment sub-advisory agreement, the External Investment Manager is entitled to 50% of the base management fee and the incentive fees earned by HMS Adviser under its advisory agreement with HMS Income.

        During April 2014, we received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting co-investments by us and HMS Income in certain negotiated transactions where co-investing would otherwise be prohibited under the 1940 Act. We have made, and in the future intend to continue to make, such co-investments with HMS Income in accordance with the conditions of the order. The order requires, among other things, that we and the External Investment Manager consider whether each such investment opportunity is appropriate for HMS Income and, if it is appropriate, to propose an allocation of the investment opportunity between us and HMS Income. Because the External Investment Manager may receive performance-based fee compensation from HMS Income, this may provide it an incentive to allocate opportunities to HMS Income instead of us. However, we and the External Investment Manager have policies and procedures in place to avoid this conflict.

        You should be aware that investments in our portfolio companies carry a number of risks including, but not limited to, investing in companies which may have limited operating histories and financial resources and other risks common to investing in below investment grade debt and equity investments in private, smaller companies. Please see "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Investments" for a more complete discussion of the risks involved with investing in our portfolio companies.

        Our principal executive offices are located at 1300 Post Oak Boulevard, 8th Floor, Houston, Texas 77056, and our telephone number is (713) 350-6000. We maintain a website at http://www.mainstcapital.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider that information to be part of this prospectus.

Business Strategies

        Our principal investment objective is to maximize our portfolio's total return by generating current income from our debt investments and realizing capital appreciation from our equity and equity-related investments, including warrants, convertible securities and other rights to acquire equity securities in a portfolio company. We have adopted the following business strategies to achieve our investment objective. Please see "Business—Business Strategies" for a more complete discussion of our business strategies.

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Risk Factors

        Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the information found in "Risk Factors," including the following risks:

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Investment Criteria

        Our investment team has identified the following investment criteria that it believes are important in evaluating prospective portfolio companies. Our investment team uses these criteria in evaluating investment opportunities. However, not all of these criteria have been, or will be, met in connection with each of our investments. Please see "Business—Investment Criteria" for a more complete discussion of our investment criteria.

Recent Developments

        In April 2016, we led a new portfolio investment totaling $6.0 million of invested capital to facilitate the majority recapitalization of BBB Tank Services, LLC ("BBB"), with us funding $4.8 million of the investment. Our investment in BBB included a combination of first-lien, senior secured term debt and a direct equity investment. We and our co-investor are also providing BBB an undrawn revolving line of credit to support its future working capital needs. Headquartered in Baytown, Texas, and founded in 2001, BBB provides products and services to the above-ground storage tank market. BBB's products and services include routine and emergency maintenance and repairs, replacement seals for floating roofs, application of protective coatings, and new tank construction and are provided primarily to owners of storage terminals that hold crude, refined petroleum products, chemicals and other commodities.

        In April 2016, Safety Holdings, Inc., doing business as SambaSafety® ("SambaSafety"), completed a transaction with a private equity group to complete a majority recapitalization of SambaSafety. This transaction resulted in the repayment of our debt investment and the exit of our equity investment in SambaSafety. SambaSafety's innovative Software as a Service ("SaaS") solutions provide driver risk technology and information to employers, insurance, background screeners and fleet management companies. This enables companies with commercial and non-commercial fleets to easily identify and address unsafe driving behavior and take the appropriate actions necessary to maintain the safety of

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drivers, passengers and the communities in which they live and work. Additionally, SambaSafety solutions provide the insights insurance carriers need to accurately price risk throughout the insurance policy lifecycle. We made our initial investment in SambaSafety in November 2011 and the majority recapitalization transaction resulted in realized value received by us that is consistent with the fair market values for our investments in SambaSafety as of March 31, 2016.

        In April 2016, we led a new portfolio investment totaling $16.4 million of invested capital to facilitate the management-led buyout of Gulf Publishing Company ("Gulf") and The Petroleum Economist Limited ("Petroleum Economist", and together with Gulf, the "Companies"), with us funding $13.1 million of the investment. Our investment in the Companies included a combination of first-lien, senior secured term debt and a direct equity investment. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Gulf Publishing Company was incorporated in 1916 by a team of oil company executives and oilfield equipment manufacturers as wildcat discoveries were being made along the Houston Ship Channel. Today, Gulf Publishing produces and distributes leading trade journals, industry research, databases, software, conferences and events designed for the needs of the energy industry.

        During April 2016, we declared a semi-annual supplemental cash dividend of $0.275 per share payable in June 2016. This supplemental cash dividend is in addition to the previously announced regular monthly cash dividends that we declared for the second quarter of 2016 of $0.180 per share for each of April, May and June 2016.

        In May 2016, we declared regular monthly dividends of $0.180 per share for each month of July, August and September of 2016. These regular monthly dividends equal a total of $0.540 per share for the third quarter of 2016 and represent a 2.9% increase from the regular monthly dividends declared for the third quarter of 2015. Including the regular monthly dividends declared for the first quarter of 2016, we will have paid $17.775 per share in cumulative dividends since our October 2007 initial public offering.

        In May 2016, we completed the exit of our debt and equity investments in SambaSafety, upon the successful closing of SambaSafety's previously announced definitive agreement with a private equity group to complete a majority recapitalization of SambaSafety. We realized a gain of approximately $28.4 million on the exit of our equity investments in SambaSafety, and on a cumulative basis since our initial investment in SambaSafety in November of 2011, we realized a total internal rate of return of 143.2% and a 14.6 times money invested return on our equity investments in SambaSafety. On a cumulative basis including both our debt and equity investments in SambaSafety, we realized a total internal rate of return of 34.7% and a 2.3 times money invested return. Our original investment in SambaSafety in November 2011 included a $3.0 million debt investment and a $1.0 million equity investment. After the original investment in November 2011, our investments grew to total debt investments of $26.4 million and total equity investments of $2.1 million as we provided additional funding to support SambaSafety's significant growth opportunities. As part of the recent recapitalization, we received a minority equity ownership position in the new entity formed to complete the majority recapitalization.

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The Offering

        We may offer, from time to time, up to $1,500,000,000 of our securities, on terms to be determined at the time of the offering. Our securities may be offered at prices and on terms to be disclosed in one or more prospectus supplements.

        Our securities may be offered directly to one or more purchasers by us or through agents designated from time to time by us, or to or through underwriters or dealers. The prospectus supplement relating to the offering will disclose the terms of the offering, including the name or names of any agents or underwriters involved in the sale of our securities by us, the purchase price, and any fee, commission or discount arrangement between us and our agents or underwriters or among our underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. See "Plan of Distribution." We may not sell any of our securities through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of our securities.

        Set forth below is additional information regarding the offering of our securities:

Use of proceeds

  We intend to use the net proceeds from any offering to make investments in accordance with our investment objective and strategies described in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, to make investments in "Marketable securities and idle funds investments," which may include investments in secured intermediate term bank debt, rated debt securities and other income producing investments, to pay our operating expenses and other cash obligations, and for general corporate purposes. See "Use of Proceeds."

New York Stock Exchange symbols

 

"MAIN" (common stock); and "MSCA" (6.125% notes due 2023).

Dividends and distributions

 

Our dividends and other distributions, if any, will be determined by our Board of Directors from time to time.

 

Our ability to declare dividends depends on our earnings, our overall financial condition (including our liquidity position), maintenance of our RIC status and such other factors as our Board of Directors may deem relevant from time to time.

 

When we make distributions, we are required to determine the extent to which such distributions are paid out of current or accumulated earnings, recognized capital gains or capital. To the extent there is a return of capital (a distribution of the stockholders' invested capital), investors will be required to reduce their basis in our stock for federal tax purposes. In the future, our distributions may include a return of capital.

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Taxation

 

MSCC has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. Accordingly, we generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gains that we distribute to our stockholders as dividends. To maintain our qualification as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we must meet specified source-of-income and asset diversification requirements and distribute annually at least 90% of our net ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any.

 

Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next tax year and pay a 4% U.S. federal excise tax on such income. Any such carryover taxable income must be distributed through a dividend declared prior to filing the final tax return related to the year which generated such taxable income. See "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations."

Dividend reinvestment plan

 

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan that provides for the reinvestment of dividends on behalf of our registered stockholders who hold their shares with American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, the plan administrator and our transfer agent and registrar, or certain brokerage firms that have elected to participate in our dividend reinvestment plan, unless a stockholder has elected to receive dividends in cash. As a result, if we declare a cash dividend, our registered stockholders (or stockholders holding shares through participating brokerage firms) who have not "opted out" of our dividend reinvestment plan by the dividend record date will have their cash dividend automatically reinvested into additional shares of our common stock.

 

Stockholders who receive dividends in the form of stock will be subject to the same federal, state and local tax consequences as stockholders who elect to receive their dividends in cash. See "Dividend Reinvestment Plan."

Trading at a discount

 

Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value. This risk is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. We cannot predict whether our shares will trade above, at or below net asset value.

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Sales of common stock below net asset value

 

The offering price per share of our common stock, less any underwriting commissions or discounts, will not be less than the net asset value per share of our common stock at the time of the offering, except (i) with the requisite approval of our common stockholders or (ii) under such other circumstances as the Securities and Exchange Commission may permit. In addition, we cannot issue shares of our common stock below net asset value unless our Board of Directors determines that it would be in our and our stockholders' best interests to do so. We did not seek stockholder authorization to issue common stock at a price below net asset value per share at our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders because our common stock price per share has been trading significantly above the current net asset value per share of our common stock, but we may seek such authorization at future Annual Meetings or Special Meetings of Stockholders.

 

In addition, we have received stockholder approval to issue warrants, options or rights to subscribe for, convert to, or purchase shares of our common stock at a price per share below the net asset value per share subject to the applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. There is no expiration date on our ability to issue such warrants, options, rights or convertible securities based on this stockholder approval.

 

Sales by us of our common stock at a discount from our net asset value 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. See "Sales of Common Stock Below Net Asset Value."

Available Information

 

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the "Exchange Act." You can inspect any materials we file with the SEC, without charge, at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. The information we file with the SEC is available free of charge by contacting us at 1300 Post Oak Boulevard, 8th Floor, Houston, TX 77056, by telephone at (713) 350-6000 or on our website at http://www.mainstcapital.com. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding registrants, including us, that file such information electronically with the SEC. The address of the SEC's website is http://www.sec.gov. Information contained on our website or on the SEC's website about us is not incorporated into this prospectus, and you should not consider information contained on our website or on the SEC's 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 this offering will bear directly or indirectly. We caution you that some of the percentages indicated in the table below are estimates and may vary. Except where the context suggests otherwise, whenever this prospectus contains a reference to fees or expenses paid by "you," "us" or "Main Street," or that "we" will pay fees or expenses, stockholders will indirectly bear such fees or expenses as investors in us.

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 stockholder transaction expenses (as a percentage of offering price)

    —% (4)

Annual Expenses (as a percentage of net assets attributable to common stock):

       

Operating expenses

    2.86% (5)

Interest payments on borrowed funds

    3.10% (6)

Income tax expense

    0.00% (7)

Acquired fund fees and expenses

    0.30% (8)

Total annual expenses

    6.26%  

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

(2)
In the event that we conduct an offering of our securities, a corresponding prospectus supplement will disclose the estimated offering expenses.

(3)
The expenses of administering our dividend reinvestment plan are included in operating expenses.

(4)
Total stockholder transaction expenses may include sales load and will be disclosed in a future prospectus supplement, if any.

(5)
Operating expenses in this table represent the estimated expenses of MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries.

(6)
Interest payments on borrowed funds represent our estimated annual interest payments on borrowed funds based on current debt levels as adjusted for projected increases (but not decreases) in debt levels over the next twelve months.

(7)
Income tax expense relates to the accrual of (a) deferred tax provision (benefit) on the net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) from portfolio investments held in Taxable Subsidiaries and (b) excise, state and other taxes. Deferred taxes are non-cash in nature and may vary significantly from period to period. We are required to include deferred taxes in calculating our annual expenses even though deferred taxes are not currently payable or receivable. Due to the variable nature of deferred tax expense, which can be a large portion of the income tax expense, and the difficulty in providing an estimate for future periods, this income tax expense estimate is based upon the actual amount of income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2015. However, since the income tax benefit at December 31, 2015 was $8.7 million, which would have resulted in a (0.81%) percentage of net assets attributable to common stock, 0.00% was used.

(8)
Acquired fund fees and expenses represent the estimated indirect expense incurred due to investments in other investment companies and private funds.

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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. In calculating the following expense amounts, we have assumed we would have no additional leverage and that our annual operating expenses would remain at the levels set forth in the table above. In the event that shares 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 5.0% annual return

  $ 62   $ 184   $ 303   $ 588  

        The example 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. While the example assumes, as required by the SEC, a 5.0% annual return, our performance will vary and may result in a return greater or less than 5.0%. In addition, while the example assumes reinvestment of all dividends 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 (i) the market price per share of our common stock at the close of trading on the dividend payment date in the event that we use newly issued shares to satisfy the share requirements of the dividend reinvestment plan or (ii) the average purchase price of all shares of common stock purchased by the administrator of the dividend reinvestment plan in the event that shares are purchased in the open market to satisfy the share requirements of the dividend reinvestment plan, which may be at, above or below net asset value. See "Dividend Reinvestment Plan" for additional information regarding our dividend reinvestment plan.

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RISK FACTORS

        Investing in our securities involves a number of significant risks. In addition to the other information contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, you should consider carefully the following information before making an investment in our securities. The risks set out below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or not presently deemed material by us might also impair our operations and performance. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, our net asset value and the trading price of our common stock could decline or the value of our other securities may decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

RISKS RELATING TO ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

Deterioration in the economy and financial markets increases the likelihood of adverse effects on our financial position and results of operations. Such economic adversity could impair our portfolio companies' financial positions and operating results and affect the industries in which we invest, which could, in turn, harm our operating results.

        The broader fundamentals of the United States economy remain mixed, and unemployment remains uncertain. In the event that the United States economy contracts, it is likely that the financial results of small to mid-sized companies, like those in which we invest, could experience deterioration or limited growth from current levels, which could ultimately lead to difficulty in meeting their debt service requirements and an increase in defaults. In addition, a prolonged continuation of the current decline in oil and natural gas prices would adversely affect the credit quality of our debt investments and the underlying operating performance of our equity investments in energy related businesses. Consequently, we can provide no assurance that the performance of certain portfolio companies will not be negatively impacted by economic cycles, industry cycles or other conditions, which could also have a negative impact on our future results.

        Although we have been able to secure access to additional liquidity, including through the Credit Facility, periodic follow on equity offerings, public debt issuances and the leverage available through the SBIC program, the potential for volatility in the debt and equity capital markets provides no assurance that debt or equity capital will be available to us in the future on favorable terms, or at all. Further, if the price of our common stock falls below our net asset value per share, we will be limited in our ability to sell new shares if we do not have stockholder authorization to sell shares at a price below net asset value per share. We do not currently have such stockholder authorization.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS AND STRUCTURE

Our Investment Portfolio is and will continue to be recorded at fair value, with our Board of Directors having final responsibility for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our determination of fair value and, as a result, there is and will continue to be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.

        Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our portfolio investments at market value or, if there is no readily available market value, at fair value as determined by us with our Board of Directors having final responsibility for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our determination of fair value and our valuation procedures. Typically, there is not a public market for the securities of the privately held LMM or Private Loan companies in which we have invested and will generally continue to invest. As a result, we value these securities quarterly at fair value based on inputs from management, a nationally recognized independent financial advisory services firm (on a rotational basis) and our audit committee with the oversight, review and approval of our Board of Directors. In addition, the market for investments in Middle Market companies is generally not a liquid market, and therefore, we primarily use a combination of observable inputs in non-active markets for which sufficient observable inputs were not available to determine the fair value of these investments and

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unobservable inputs, which are reviewed by our audit committee with the oversight, review and approval of our Board of Directors. See "Note B.1.—Valuation of the Investment Portfolio" in the notes to consolidated financial statements contained in this prospectus for a detailed discussion of our investment portfolio valuation process and procedures.

        The determination of fair value and consequently, the amount of unrealized gains and losses in our portfolio, are to a certain degree, subjective and dependent on a valuation process approved by our Board of Directors. Certain factors that may be considered in determining the fair value of our investments include external events, such as private mergers, sales and acquisitions involving comparable companies. 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 ready market for these securities existed. Due to this uncertainty, our fair value determinations may cause our net asset value on a given date to materially understate or overstate the value that we may ultimately realize on one or more of our investments. As a result, investors purchasing our securities based on an overstated net asset value would pay a higher price than the value of our investments might warrant. Conversely, investors selling our securities during a period in which the net asset value understates the value of our investments may receive a lower price for their securities than the value of our investments might warrant.

Our financial condition and results of operations depends on our ability to effectively manage and deploy capital.

        Our ability to achieve our investment objective of maximizing our portfolio's total return by generating current income from our debt investments and capital appreciation from our equity and equity-related investments, including warrants, convertible securities and other rights to acquire equity securities in a portfolio company, depends on our ability to effectively manage and deploy capital, which depends, in turn, on our investment team's ability to identify, evaluate and monitor, and our ability to finance and invest in, companies that meet our investment criteria.

        Accomplishing our investment objective on a cost-effective basis is largely a function of our investment team's handling of the investment process, its ability to provide competent, attentive and efficient services and our access to investments offering acceptable terms. In addition to monitoring the performance of our existing investments, members of our investment team are also called upon, from time to time, to provide managerial assistance to some of our portfolio companies. These demands on their time may distract them or slow the rate of investment.

        Even if we are able to grow and build upon our investment operations, any failure to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The results of our operations will depend on many factors, including the availability of opportunities for investment, readily accessible short and long-term funding alternatives in the financial markets and economic conditions. Furthermore, if we cannot successfully operate our business or implement our investment policies and strategies as described herein, it could negatively impact our ability to pay dividends.

We may face increasing competition for investment opportunities.

        We compete for investments with other investment funds (including private equity funds, debt funds, mezzanine funds, collateralized loan obligations, or CLOs, BDCs, and SBICs), as well as traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks and other sources of funding. Many of our 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 capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have

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higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments than we have. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than we are able to do. We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors' pricing, terms and structure. If we are forced to match our competitors' pricing, terms and structure, we may not be able to achieve acceptable returns on our investments or may bear substantial risk of capital loss. A significant part of our competitive advantage stems from the fact that the market for investments in LMM companies is underserved by traditional commercial banks and other financing sources. A significant increase in the number and/or the size of our competitors in this target market could force us to accept less attractive investment terms. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC.

We are dependent upon our key investment personnel for our future success.

        We depend on the members of our investment team, particularly Vincent D. Foster, Dwayne L. Hyzak, Curtis L. Hartman, David L. Magdol, Travis L. Haley, Nicholas T. Meserve, and Rodger A. Stout for the identification, review, final selection, structuring, closing and monitoring of our investments. These employees have significant investment expertise and relationships that we rely on to implement our business plan. Although we have entered into a non-compete agreement with Mr. Foster, we have no guarantee that he or any other employees will remain employed with us. If we lose the services of these individuals, we may not be able to operate our business as we expect, and our ability to compete could be harmed, which could cause our operating results to suffer.

Our success depends on attracting and retaining qualified personnel in a competitive environment.

        Our growth will require that we retain new investment and administrative personnel in a competitive market. Our ability to attract and retain personnel with the requisite credentials, experience and skills depends on several factors including, but not limited to, our ability to offer competitive wages, benefits and professional growth opportunities. Many of the entities, including investment funds (such as private equity funds and mezzanine funds) and traditional financial services companies, with which we compete for experienced personnel have greater resources than we have.

        The competitive environment for qualified personnel may require us to take certain measures to ensure that we are able to attract and retain experienced personnel. Such measures may include increasing the attractiveness of our overall compensation packages, altering the structure of our compensation packages through the use of additional forms of compensation, or other steps. The inability to attract and retain experienced personnel would have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our business model depends to a significant extent upon strong referral relationships, and our inability to maintain or develop these relationships, as well as the failure of these relationships to generate investment opportunities, could adversely affect our business.

        We expect that members of our management team will maintain their relationships with intermediaries, financial institutions, investment bankers, commercial bankers, financial advisors, attorneys, accountants, consultants and other individuals within our network, and we will rely to a significant extent upon these relationships to provide us with potential investment opportunities. If our management team fails to maintain its existing relationships or develop new relationships with sources of investment opportunities, we will not be able to grow our Investment Portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom members of our management team have relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities, and, therefore, there is no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us.

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

        Our executive officers and employees, through the External Investment Manager, may manage other investment funds that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do. Accordingly, they may have obligations to such other entities, the fulfillment of which obligations may not be in the best interests of us or our stockholders. During May 2012, we entered into an investment sub-advisory agreement with HMS Adviser, which is the investment advisor to HMS Income, a non publicly-traded BDC, to provide certain investment advisory services to HMS Adviser. In December 2013, after obtaining required no-action relief from the SEC to allow us to own a registered investment adviser, we assigned the sub-advisory agreement to the External Investment Manager since the fees received from such arrangement could otherwise have negative consequences on our ability to meet the source-of-income requirement necessary for us to maintain our RIC tax treatment. Under the investment sub-advisory agreement, the External Investment Manager is entitled to 50% of the base management fee and the incentive fees earned by HMS Adviser under its advisory agreement with HMS Income. We and the External Investment Manager agreed to waive all such fees from the effective date of HMS Adviser's registration statement on Form N-2 through December 31, 2013. As a result, as of December 31, 2013, neither we nor the External Investment Manager had received any base management fee or incentive fees under the investment sub-advisory agreement and neither was due any unpaid compensation for any base management fee or incentive fees under the investment sub-advisory agreement through December 31, 2013. The External Investment Manager began accruing such fees on January 1, 2014. The sub-advisory relationship requires us to commit resources to achieving HMS Income's investment objective, while such resources were previously solely devoted to achieving our investment objective. Our investment objective and investment strategies are very similar to those of HMS Income and it is likely that an investment appropriate for us or HMS Income would be appropriate for the other entity. As a result, we and HMS Income requested an exemptive order from the SEC permitting co-investments by us and HMS Income in certain negotiated transactions where our co-investing would otherwise be prohibited under the 1940 Act. The SEC granted the exemptive order in April 2014, and we have made, and in the future intend to continue to make, such co-investments with HMS Income in accordance with the conditions of the order. The order requires, among other things, that we and the External Investment Manager consider whether each such investment opportunity is appropriate for HMS Income and, if it is appropriate, to propose an allocation of the investment opportunity between us and HMS Income. As a consequence, it may be more difficult for us to maintain or increase the size of our Investment Portfolio in the future. Although we will endeavor to allocate investment opportunities in a fair and equitable manner, including in accordance with the conditions set forth in the exemptive order issued by the SEC when relying on such order, we may face conflicts in allocating investment opportunities between us and HMS Income. Because the External Investment Manager may receive performance-based fee compensation from HMS Income, this may provide an incentive to allocate opportunities to HMS Income instead of us. We have implemented an allocation policy to ensure the equitable distribution of investment opportunities and, as a result, may be unable to participate in certain investments based upon such allocation policy.

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

        Our business will require capital to operate and grow. We may acquire such additional capital from the following sources:

        Senior Securities.    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. As a result of issuing senior securities, we will be exposed to additional risks, including the following:

        Additional Common Stock.    The 1940 Act prohibits us from selling shares of our common stock at a price below the current net asset value per share of such stock, with certain exceptions. One such exception is prior stockholder approval of issuances below current net asset value per share provided that our Board of Directors makes certain determinations. We did not seek stockholder authorization to sell shares of our common stock at a price below the then current net asset value per share at our 2016 annual meeting of stockholders because our common stock price per share has been trading significantly above the current net asset value per share of our common stock. As such, we do not currently have such stockholder authorization. We may, however, sell our common stock, warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the current net asset value of the common stock if our Board of Directors determines that such sale is in the best interests of our stockholders, and our stockholders approve such sale. See "—Stockholders may incur dilution if we sell shares of our common stock in one or more offerings at prices below the then current net asset value

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per share of our common stock or issue securities to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of our common stock" for a discussion of the risks related to us issuing shares of our common stock below net asset value. Our stockholders have authorized us to issue warrants, options or rights to subscribe for, convert to, or purchase shares of our common stock at a price per share below the net asset value per share, subject to the applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. There is no expiration date on our ability to issue such warrants, options, rights or convertible securities based on this stockholder approval. If we raise additional funds by issuing more common stock or senior securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock, the percentage ownership of our stockholders at that time would decrease, and they may experience dilution. Moreover, we can offer no assurance that we will be able to issue and sell additional equity securities in the future, on favorable terms or at all.

The Funds are licensed by the SBA, and therefore subject to SBA regulations.

        The Funds, our wholly owned subsidiaries, are licensed to act as SBICs and are regulated by the SBA. The SBA also places certain limitations on the financing terms of investments by SBICs in portfolio companies and prohibits SBICs from providing funds for certain purposes or to businesses in a few prohibited industries. Compliance with SBA requirements may cause the Funds to forego attractive investment opportunities that are not permitted under SBA regulations.

        Further, the SBA regulations require, among other things, that a licensed SBIC be periodically examined by the SBA and audited by an independent auditor, in each case to determine the SBIC's compliance with the relevant SBA regulations. The SBA prohibits, without prior SBA approval, a "change of control" of an SBIC or transfers that would result in any person (or a group of persons acting in concert) owning 10% or more of a class of capital stock of a licensed SBIC. If the Funds fail to comply with applicable SBIC regulations, the SBA could, depending on the severity of the violation, limit or prohibit their use of SBIC debentures, declare outstanding SBIC debentures immediately due and payable, and/or limit them from making new investments. In addition, the SBA can revoke or suspend a license for willful or repeated violation of, or willful or repeated failure to observe, any provision of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder. Such actions by the SBA would, in turn, negatively affect us.

Because we borrow money, the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in us is magnified and may increase the risk of investing in us.

        Borrowings, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for loss on investments in our indebtedness and gain or loss on investments in our equity capital. As we use leverage to partially finance our investments, you will experience increased risks of investing in our securities. We, through the Funds, issue debt securities guaranteed by the SBA and sold in the capital markets. As a result of its guarantee of the debt securities, the SBA has fixed dollar claims on the assets of the Funds that are superior to the claims of our securities holders. We may also borrow from banks and other lenders, including under our Credit Facility, and may issue debt securities or enter into other types of borrowing arrangements in the future. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Capital Resources" for a discussion regarding our outstanding indebtedness. 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 our business. Similarly, any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not leveraged our business. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to pay common stock dividends, scheduled debt payments or other payments related to our securities. Use of leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique.

        As of March 31, 2016, we, through the Funds, had $225.0 million of outstanding indebtedness guaranteed by the SBA, which had a weighted average annualized interest cost of approximately 4.2%. The debentures guaranteed by the SBA have a maturity of ten years, with a current weighted average

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remaining maturity of 5.3 years as of March 31, 2016, and require semi annual payments of interest. We will need to generate sufficient cash flow to make required interest payments on the debentures. If we are unable to meet the financial obligations under the debentures, the SBA, as a creditor, will have a superior claim to the assets of the Funds over our stockholders in the event we liquidate or the SBA exercises its remedies under such debentures as the result of a default by us.

        In addition, as of March 31, 2016, we had $306.0 million outstanding under our Credit Facility. Borrowings under the Credit Facility bear interest, subject to our election, on a per annum basis at a rate equal to the applicable LIBOR rate (0.44% as of March 31, 2016) plus (i) 1.875% (or the applicable base rate (Prime Rate of 3.50% as of March 31, 2016) plus 0.875%), as long as we maintain an investment grade rating and meet certain agreed upon excess collateral and maximum leverage requirements, (ii) 2.0% (or the applicable base rate plus 1.0%) if we maintain an investment grade rating but do not meet certain excess collateral and maximum leverage requirements or (iii) 2.25% (or the applicable base rate plus 1.25%) if we do not maintain an investment grade rating. We pay unused commitment fees of 0.25% per annum on the unused lender commitments under the Credit Facility. If we are unable to meet the financial obligations under the Credit Facility, the Credit Facility lending group will have a superior claim to the assets of MSCC and its subsidiaries (excluding the assets of the Funds) over our stockholders in the event we liquidate or the lending group exercises its remedies under the Credit Facility as the result of a default by us.

        In April 2013, we issued $92.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.125% Notes due 2023 (the "6.125% Notes"). As of March 31, 2016, the outstanding balance of the 6.125% Notes was $90.7 million. The 6.125% Notes are unsecured obligations and rank pari passu with our current and future unsecured indebtedness; senior to any of our future indebtedness that expressly provides it is subordinated to the 6.125% Notes; effectively subordinated to all of our existing and future secured indebtedness, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness, including borrowings under our Credit Facility; and structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other obligations of any of our subsidiaries, including without limitation, the indebtedness of the Funds. The 6.125% Notes mature on April 1, 2023, and may be redeemed in whole or in part at any time or from time to time at our option on or after April 1, 2018. The 6.125% Notes bear interest at a rate of 6.125% per year.

        In November 2014, we issued $175.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 4.50% unsecured notes due 2019 (the "4.50% Notes" and, together with the 6.125% Notes, the "Notes") at an issue price of 99.53%. As of March 31, 2016, the outstanding balance of the 4.50% Notes was $175.0 million. The 4.50% Notes are unsecured obligations and rank pari passu with our current and future unsecured indebtedness; senior to any of our future indebtedness that expressly provides it is subordinated to the 4.50% Notes; effectively subordinated to all of our existing and future secured indebtedness, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness, including borrowings under our Credit Facility; and structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other obligations of any of our subsidiaries, including without limitation, the indebtedness of the Funds. The 4.50% Notes mature on December 1, 2019, and may be redeemed in whole or in part at any time at our option subject to certain make whole provisions.

        Illustration.    The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing below.

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Assumed Return on Our Portfolio(1)
(net of expenses)

 
  (10.0)%   (5.0)%   0.0%   5.0%   10.0%  

Corresponding net return to common stockholder(2)

    (20.5)%     (11.7)%     (2.8)%     6.0%     14.8%  

(1)
Assumes $1,901.1 million in total assets, $796.7 million in debt outstanding, $1,077.0 million in net assets, and a weighted-average interest rate of 3.8%. Actual interest payments may be different.

(2)
In order for us to cover our annual interest payments on indebtedness, we must achieve annual returns on our March 31, 2016 total assets of at least 1.6%.

        Our ability to achieve our investment objective may depend in part on our ability to access additional leverage on favorable terms by issuing debentures guaranteed by the SBA through the Funds, by borrowing from banks or insurance companies or by issuing other debt securities and there can be no assurance that such additional leverage can in fact be achieved.

All of our assets are subject to security interests under our secured Credit Facility or subject to a superior claim over our stockholders by the SBA and if we default on our obligations under the Credit Facility or with respect to our SBA-guaranteed debentures, we may suffer adverse consequences, including foreclosure on our assets.

        Substantially all of our assets are currently pledged as collateral under our Credit Facility or are subject to a superior claim over our stockholders by the SBA. If we default on our obligations under the Credit Facility or our SBA-guaranteed debentures, the lenders and/or the SBA may have the right to foreclose upon and sell, or otherwise transfer, the collateral subject to their security interests or their superior claim. In such event, we may be forced to sell our investments to raise funds to repay our outstanding borrowings in order to avoid foreclosure and these forced sales may be at times and at prices we would not consider advantageous. Moreover, such deleveraging of our company could significantly impair our ability to effectively operate our business in the manner in which we have historically operated. As a result, we could be forced to curtail or cease new investment activities and lower or eliminate the dividends that we have historically paid to our stockholders. In addition, if the lenders exercise their right to sell the assets pledged under our Credit Facility, such sales may be completed at distressed sale prices, thereby diminishing or potentially eliminating the amount of cash available to us after repayment of the amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility.

Previously proposed legislation may allow us to incur additional leverage.

        As a BDC, under the 1940 Act we generally are not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing we have an asset coverage for total borrowings of at least 200% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 50% of the value of our assets). Legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 114th Congress proposed to modify this section of the 1940 Act and increase the amount of debt that BDCs may incur by modifying the asset coverage percentage from 200% to 150%. If such legislation is passed, we may be able to incur additional indebtedness in the future and, therefore, your risk of an investment in our securities may increase.

        In addition, in December 2015, the 2016 omnibus spending bill approved by Congress and signed into law by the President increased the amount of SBA-guaranteed debentures that affiliated SBIC funds can have outstanding from $225.0 million to $350.0 million. This new legislation may allow us to issue additional SBIC debentures, subject to SBA approval, above the $225.0 million that we, through the Funds, have outstanding as of March 31, 2016. If we incur this additional indebtedness in the future, your risk of an investment in our securities may increase.

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Further downgrades of the U.S. credit rating, automatic spending cuts or another government shutdown could negatively impact our liquidity, financial condition and earnings.

        Recent U.S. debt ceiling and budget deficit concerns have increased the possibility of additional credit-rating downgrades and economic slowdowns, or a recession in the U.S. Although U.S. lawmakers passed legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling on multiple occasions, ratings agencies have lowered or threatened to lower the long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States. The impact of this or any further downgrades to the U.S. government's sovereign credit rating or its perceived creditworthiness could adversely affect the U.S. and global financial markets and economic conditions. Absent further quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, these developments could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms. In addition, disagreement over the federal budget has caused the U.S. federal government to shut down for periods of time. Continued adverse political and economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

It is unclear how increased regulatory oversight and changes in the method for determining LIBOR may affect the value of the financial obligations to be held or issued by us that are linked to LIBOR, or how such changes could affect our results of operations or financial condition.

        As a result of concerns about the accuracy of the calculation of LIBOR, a number of British Bankers' Association, or BBA, member banks entered into settlements with certain regulators and law enforcement agencies with respect to the alleged manipulation of LIBOR, and there are ongoing investigations by regulators and governmental authorities in various jurisdictions. Following a review of LIBOR conducted at the request of the U.K. government, on September 28, 2012, recommendations for reforming the setting and governing of LIBOR were released, which are referred to as the Wheatley Review. The Wheatley Review made a number of recommendations for changes with respect to LIBOR, including the introduction of S-5 statutory regulation of LIBOR, the transfer of responsibility for LIBOR from the BBA to an independent administrator, changes to the method of the compilation of lending rates and new regulatory oversight and enforcement mechanisms for rate-setting and a reduction in the number of currencies and tenors for which LIBOR is published. Based on the Wheatley Review and on a subsequent public and governmental consultation process, on March 25, 2013, the U.K. Financial Services Authority published final rules for the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority's regulation and supervision of LIBOR, which are referred to as the FCA Rules. In particular, the FCA Rules include requirements that (1) an independent LIBOR administrator monitor and survey LIBOR submissions to identify breaches of practice standards and/or potentially manipulative behavior, and (2) firms submitting data to LIBOR establish and maintain a clear conflicts of interest policy and appropriate systems and controls. The FCA Rules took effect on April 2, 2013, and on July 9, 2013, NYSE Euronext was chosen to serve as the independent LIBOR administrator commencing in 2014. It is uncertain what additional regulatory changes or what changes, if any, in the method of determining LIBOR may be required or made by the U.K. government or other governmental or regulatory authorities. Accordingly, uncertainty as to the nature of such changes may adversely affect the market for or value of any LIBOR-linked securities, loans, derivatives and other financial obligations or extensions of credit held by or due to us or on our overall financial condition or results of operations. In addition, any further changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of LIBOR may result in a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in reported LIBOR, which could have an adverse impact on the market for or value of any LIBOR-linked securities, loans, derivatives and other financial obligations or extensions of credit held by or due to us or on our overall financial condition or results of operations.

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We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly results.

        We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including our ability or inability to make investments in companies that meet our investment criteria, the interest rate payable on the debt securities we acquire, the level of portfolio dividend and fee income, the level of our expenses, 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 Board of Directors may change our operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval, the effects of which may be adverse.

        Our Board of Directors has the authority to modify or waive our current operating policies, investment criteria and strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies, investment criteria and strategies would have on our business, net asset value, operating results and value of our stock. However, the effects might be adverse, which could negatively impact our ability to pay interest and principal payments to holders of our debt instruments and dividends to our stockholders and cause our investors to lose all or part of their investment in us.

We will be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax if we are unable to qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code.

        To maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code, we must meet the following annual distribution, income source and asset diversification requirements:

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        Failure to meet these requirements 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 will be in private companies, and therefore will be illiquid, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and could result in substantial losses. Moreover, if we fail to maintain RIC tax treatment for any reason and are subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions.

We may not be able to pay distributions to our stockholders, our distributions may not grow over time, and a portion of distributions paid to our stockholders may be a return of capital, which is a distribution of the stockholders' invested capital.

        We intend to pay distributions 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 pay a specified level of cash distributions, previously projected distributions for future periods, or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by, among other things, the impact of one or more of the risk factors described herein. In addition, the inability to satisfy the asset coverage test applicable to us as a BDC could limit our ability to pay distributions. All distributions will be paid at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our RIC status, compliance with applicable BDC regulations, compliance with our debt covenants, each of the Funds' compliance with applicable SBIC regulations and such other factors as our Board of Directors may deem relevant from time to time. We cannot assure you that we will pay distributions to our stockholders in the future.

        When we make distributions, we will be required to determine the extent to which such distributions are paid out of current or accumulated earnings, recognized capital gains or capital. To the extent there is a return of capital, investors will be required to reduce their basis in our stock for federal tax purposes, which may result in higher tax liability when the shares are sold, even if they have not increased in value or have lost value. In addition, any return of capital will be net of any sales load and offering expenses associated with sales of shares of our common stock. In the future, our distributions may include a return of capital.

We may have difficulty paying the distributions required to maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code if we recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income.

        We will include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as: (i) amortization of original issue discount, which may arise if we receive warrants in connection with the origination of a loan such that ascribing a value to the warrants creates original issue discount in the debt instrument, if we invest in a debt investment at a discount to the par value of the debt security or possibly in other circumstances; (ii) contractual payment-in-kind, or PIK, interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term; (iii) contractual preferred dividends, which represents contractual dividends added to the preferred stock and due at the end of the preferred stock term, subject to adequate profitability at the portfolio company; or (iv) amortization of market discount, which is associated with loans purchased in the secondary market at a discount to par value. Such amortization of original issue discounts, increases in loan balances as a result of contractual PIK arrangements, cumulative preferred dividends, or amortization of market discount will be included in income before we receive the corresponding cash payments. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts before we receive such amounts in cash. Investments structured with these features may represent a higher level of credit risk compared to investments generating income which must be paid in cash on a current basis. For the year ended

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December 31, 2015, (i) approximately 2.2% of our total investment income was attributable to PIK income not paid currently in cash, (ii) approximately 1.0% of our total investment income was attributable to amortization of original issue discount, (iii) approximately 1.0% of our total investment income was attributable to cumulative dividend income not paid currently in cash, and (iv) approximately 1.6% of our total investment income was attributable to amortization of market discount on loans purchased in the secondary market at a discount.

        Since, in certain cases, we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty meeting the annual distribution requirement necessary to maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code. Accordingly, we may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax. For additional discussion regarding the tax implications of a RIC, please see "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company."

We may in the future choose to pay dividends in our own stock, in which case you may be required to pay tax in excess of the cash you receive.

        We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in part in our stock. Under certain applicable provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations, distributions payable by us in cash or in shares of stock (at the stockholders election) would satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement. The IRS has issued private letter rulings providing that a dividend payable in stock or in cash at the election of the stockholders will be treated as a taxable dividend eligible for the dividends paid deduction provided that at least 20% of the total dividend is payable in cash and certain other requirements are satisfied. Taxable stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income (or as long-term capital gain to the extent such dividend is properly reported as a capital gain dividend) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. stockholder may be required to pay tax with respect to such dividends in excess of any cash received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock 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 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 stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our stock.

Each of the Funds, as an SBIC, may be unable to make distributions to us that will enable us to meet or maintain RIC status, which could result in the imposition of an entity-level tax.

        In order for us to continue to qualify for RIC tax treatment and to minimize corporate-level U.S. federal taxes, we will be required to distribute substantially all of our net ordinary taxable income and net capital gain income, including income from certain of our subsidiaries, which includes the income from the Funds. We will be partially dependent on the Funds for cash distributions to enable us to meet the RIC distribution requirements. The Funds may be limited by the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and SBIC regulations governing SBICs, from making certain distributions to us that may be necessary to enable us to maintain our status as a RIC. We may have to request a waiver of the SBA's restrictions for the Funds to make certain distributions to maintain our eligibility for RIC status. We cannot assure you that the SBA will grant such waiver and if the Funds are unable to obtain a waiver, compliance with the SBIC regulations may result in loss of RIC tax treatment and a consequent imposition of an entity-level tax on us.

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Because we intend to distribute substantially all of our income to our stockholders to maintain our status as a RIC, we will continue to need additional capital to finance our growth, and regulations governing our operation as a BDC will affect our ability to, and the way in which we, raise additional capital and make distributions.

        In order to satisfy the requirements applicable to a RIC and to minimize corporate-level U.S. federal taxes, we intend to distribute to our stockholders substantially all of our net ordinary income and net capital gain income. We may carry forward excess undistributed taxable income into the next year, net of the 4% U.S. federal excise tax. Any such carryover taxable income must be distributed through a dividend declared prior to filing the final tax return related to the year which generated such taxable income. As a BDC, we generally are required to meet an asset coverage ratio, as defined in the 1940 Act, of at least 200% immediately after each issuance of senior securities. This requirement limits the amount that we may borrow and may prohibit us from making distributions. Because we will continue to need capital to grow our Investment Portfolio, this limitation may prevent us from incurring debt and require us to raise additional equity at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

        While we expect to be able to borrow and to issue additional debt and equity securities, we cannot assure you that debt and equity financing will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all. In addition, as a BDC, we generally are not permitted to issue equity securities priced below net asset value without stockholder approval. If additional funds are not available to us, we could be forced to curtail or cease new investment activities, and our net asset value could decline.

Stockholders may incur dilution if we sell shares of our common stock in one or more offerings at prices below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock or issue securities to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of our common stock.

        The 1940 Act prohibits us from selling shares of our common stock at a price below the current net asset value per share of such stock, with certain exceptions. One such exception is prior stockholder approval of issuances below net asset value provided that our Board of Directors makes certain determinations. We did not seek stockholder authorization to sell shares of our common stock at a price below the then current net asset value per share at our 2016 annual meeting of stockholders because our common stock price per share has been trading significantly above the current net asset value per share of our common stock. As such, we do not currently have such stockholder authorization. We may, however, seek such authorization at future annual or special meetings of stockholders. Our stockholders have previously approved a proposal to authorize us to issue securities to subscribe to, convert to, or purchase shares of our common stock in one or more offerings. Any decision to sell shares of our common stock below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock or securities to subscribe to, convert to, or purchase shares of our common stock would be subject to the determination by our Board of Directors that such issuance is in our and our stockholders' best interests.

        If we were to sell shares of our common stock below net asset value per share, such sales would result in an immediate dilution to the net asset value per share. This dilution would occur as a result of the sale of shares at a price below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock and a proportionately greater decrease in a stockholder's interest in our earnings and assets and voting interest in us than the increase in our assets resulting from such issuance. In addition, if we issue securities to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of common stock, the exercise or conversion of such securities would increase the number of outstanding shares of our common stock. Any such exercise would be dilutive on the voting power of existing stockholders, and could be dilutive with regard to dividends and our net asset value, and other economic aspects of the common stock.

        Because the number of shares of common stock that could be so issued and the timing of any issuance is not currently known, the actual dilutive effect cannot be predicted; however, the example below illustrates the effect of dilution to existing stockholders resulting from the sale of common stock

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at prices below the net asset value of such shares. Please see "Sales of Common Stock Below Net Asset Value" for a more complete discussion of the potentially dilutive impacts of an offering at a price less than net asset value, or NAV, per share.

        Illustration: Example of Dilutive Effect of the Issuance of Shares Below Net Asset Value.    Assume that Company XYZ has 1,000,000 total shares outstanding, $15,000,000 in total assets and $5,000,000 in total liabilities. The net asset value per share of the common stock of Company XYZ is $10.00. The following table illustrates the reduction to net asset value, or NAV, and the dilution experienced by Stockholder A following the sale of 40,000 shares of the common stock of Company XYZ at $9.50 per share, a price below its NAV per share.

 
  Prior to Sale
Below NAV
  Following Sale
Below NAV
  Percentage
Change
 

Reduction to NAV

                   

Total Shares Outstanding

    1,000,000     1,040,000     4.0%  

NAV per share

  $ 10.00   $ 9.98     (0.2)%  

Dilution to Existing Stockholder

                   

Shares Held by Stockholder A

    10,000     10,000 (1)   0.0%  

Percentage Held by Stockholder A

    1.00%     0.96%     (3.8)%  

Total Interest of Stockholder A in NAV

  $ 100,000   $ 99,808     (0.2)%  

(1)
Assumes that Stockholder A does not purchase additional shares in the sale of shares below NAV.

Changes in laws or regulations governing our operations may adversely affect our business or cause us to alter our business strategy.

        We, the Funds, and our portfolio companies are subject to applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations. New legislation may be enacted or new interpretations, rulings or regulations could be adopted, including those governing the types of investments we are permitted to make, any of which could harm us and our stockholders, potentially with retroactive effect. In addition, any change to the SBA's current debenture SBIC program could have a significant impact on our ability to obtain lower-cost leverage, through the Funds, and therefore, our ability to compete with other finance companies.

        Additionally, any changes to the laws and regulations governing our operations relating to permitted investments may cause us to alter our investment strategy in order to avail ourselves of new or different opportunities. Such changes could result in material differences to the strategies and plans set forth herein and may result in our investment focus shifting from the areas of expertise of our investment team to other types of investments in which our investment team may have less expertise or little or no experience. Thus, any such changes, if they occur, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

Terrorist attacks, acts of war or natural disasters may affect any market for our securities, impact the businesses in which we invest and harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

        Terrorist acts, acts of war or natural disasters may disrupt our operations, as well as the operations of the businesses in which we invest. Such acts have created, and continue to create, economic and political uncertainties and have contributed to global economic instability. Future terrorist activities, military or security operations, or natural disasters could further weaken the domestic/global economies and create additional uncertainties, which may negatively impact the businesses in which we invest directly or indirectly and, in turn, could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating

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results and financial condition. Losses from terrorist attacks and natural disasters are generally uninsurable.

We are highly 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 highly 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:

RISKS RELATED TO OUR INVESTMENTS

Our investments in portfolio companies involve higher levels of risk, and we could lose all or part of our investment.

        Investing in our portfolio companies involves a number of significant risks. Among other things, these companies:

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        In addition, in the course of providing significant managerial assistance to certain of our portfolio companies, certain of our officers and directors may serve as directors on the boards of such companies. To the extent that litigation arises out of our investments in these companies, our officers and directors may be named as defendants in such litigation, which could result in an expenditure of funds (through our indemnification of such officers and directors) and the diversion of management time and resources.

Continuation of the current decline in oil and natural gas prices for a prolonged period of time could have a material adverse effect on us.

        A prolonged continuation of the current decline in oil and natural gas prices would adversely affect (i) the credit quality of our debt investments and (ii) the underlying operating performance of our equity investments in energy-related businesses and in geographic areas which are more sensitive to the health of the oil and gas industries. A decrease in credit quality and the operating performance would, in turn, negatively affect the fair value of these investments, which would consequently negatively affect our net asset value. Should the current decline in oil and natural gas prices persist, it is likely that the ability of these investments to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders will be adversely affected, thereby negatively impacting their financial condition and their ability to satisfy their debt service and other obligations to us. Likewise, should the current decline in oil and natural gas prices persist, it is likely that our energy-related portfolio companies' and other affected companies' cash flow and profit generating capacities would also be adversely affected thereby negatively impacting their ability to pay us dividends or distributions on our equity investments.

We may be exposed to higher risks with respect to our investments that include original issue discount or PIK interest.

        Our investments may include original issue discount and contractual PIK interest, which represents contractual interest added to a loan balance and due at the end of such loan's term. To the extent original issue discount 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 lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our business.

        We invest, and will continue to invest in companies whose securities are not publicly traded, and whose securities will be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of these investments may make it difficult for us to sell these investments when desired. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded these investments. As a result, we do not expect to achieve liquidity in our investments in the near-term. Our investments are usually subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale or are otherwise illiquid because there is usually no established trading market for such investments. The

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illiquidity of most of our investments may make it difficult for us to dispose of them at a favorable price, and, as a result, we may suffer losses.

We may not have the funds or ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies.

        We may not have the funds or ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies. After our initial investment in a portfolio company, we may be called upon from time to time to provide additional funds to such company or have the opportunity to increase our investment through the extension of additional loans, the exercise of a warrant to purchase equity securities, or the funding of additional equity investments. There is no assurance that we will make, or will have sufficient funds to make, follow-on investments. Any decisions not to make a follow-on investment or any inability on our part to make such an investment may have a negative impact on a portfolio company in need of such an investment, may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation or may reduce the expected yield on the investment.

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

        We invest primarily in the secured term debt of LMM, Private Loan and Middle Market companies and equity issued by LMM companies. Our portfolio companies may have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the debt in which we invest. By their terms, such debt instruments may entitle the holders to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments with respect to the debt instruments 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. 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 instruments 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.

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

        Even though we may have structured certain of our investments as secured loans, if one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, depending on the facts and circumstances, and based upon principles of equitable subordination as defined by existing case law, a bankruptcy court could subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors and transfer any lien securing such subordinated claim to the bankruptcy estate. The principles of equitable subordination defined by case law have generally indicated that a claim may be subordinated only if its holder is guilty of misconduct or where the senior loan is re-characterized as an equity investment and the senior lender has actually provided significant managerial assistance to the bankrupt debtor. We may also be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by us with respect to a borrower's business or instances where we exercise control over the borrower. It is possible that we could become subject to a lender's liability claim, including as a result of actions taken in rendering significant managerial assistance or actions to compel and collect payments from the borrower outside the ordinary course of business.

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Second priority liens on collateral securing loans that we make to our portfolio companies may be subject to control by senior creditors with first priority liens. If there is a default, the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to repay in full both the first priority creditors and us.

        Certain loans that we make are secured by a second priority security interest in the same collateral pledged by a portfolio company to secure senior debt owed by the portfolio company to commercial banks or other traditional lenders. Often the senior lender has procured covenants from the portfolio company prohibiting the incurrence of additional secured debt without the senior lender's consent. Prior to and as a condition of permitting the portfolio company to borrow money from us secured by the same collateral pledged to the senior lender, the senior lender will require assurances that it will control the disposition of any collateral in the event of bankruptcy or other default. In many such cases, the senior lender will require us to enter into an "intercreditor agreement" prior to permitting the portfolio company to borrow from us. Typically the intercreditor agreements we are requested to execute expressly subordinate our debt instruments to those held by the senior lender and further provide that the senior lender shall control: (1) the commencement of foreclosure or other proceedings to liquidate and collect on the collateral; (2) the nature, timing and conduct of foreclosure or other collection proceedings; (3) the amendment of any collateral document; (4) the release of the security interests in respect of any collateral; and (5) the waiver of defaults under any security agreement. Because of the control we may cede to senior lenders under intercreditor agreements we may enter, we may be unable to realize the proceeds of any collateral securing some of our loans.

        Finally, the value of the collateral securing our debt investment will ultimately depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from the sale or sales of all of the collateral would be sufficient to satisfy the loan obligations secured by our first or second priority liens. There is also a risk that such collateral securing our investments will decrease in value over time, will be difficult to sell in a timely manner, will be difficult to appraise and will fluctuate in value based upon the success of the portfolio company and market conditions. If such proceeds are not sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the loan obligations secured by our second priority liens, then we, to the extent not repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the collateral, will only have an unsecured claim against the company's remaining assets, if any.

We are a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, and therefore we are not limited with respect to the proportion of our assets that may be invested in securities of a single issuer.

        We are classified as a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, which means that we are not limited by the 1940 Act with respect to the proportion of our assets that we may invest in securities of a single issuer. To the extent that we assume large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers, our net asset value may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a diversified investment company as a result of changes in the financial condition or the market's assessment of the issuer. We may also be more susceptible to any single economic or regulatory occurrence than a diversified investment company. Beyond our RIC asset diversification requirements, we do not have fixed guidelines for diversification, and our investments could be concentrated in relatively few portfolio companies. See "—We will be subject to corporate level U.S. federal income tax if we are unable to qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code."

We generally will not control our portfolio companies.

        We do not, and do not expect to, control the decision making in many of our portfolio companies, even though we may have board representation or board observation rights, and our debt agreements may contain certain restrictive covenants. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company in which we invest will make business decisions with which we disagree and the management of such company, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, will take risks or otherwise

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act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt investors. Due to the lack of liquidity for our investments in non-traded companies, we may not be able to dispose of our interests in our portfolio companies as readily as we would like or at an appropriate valuation. As a result, a portfolio company may make decisions that would decrease the value of our portfolio holdings.

Defaults by our portfolio companies will harm our operating results.

        A portfolio company's failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to non-payment of interest and other defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize a portfolio company's ability to meet its obligations under the debt or equity securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting portfolio company.

Any unrealized depreciation we experience in our portfolio may be an indication of future realized losses, which could reduce our income and gains available for distribution.

        As a BDC, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at the fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments will be recorded as unrealized depreciation. Any unrealized depreciation in our portfolio could be an indication of a portfolio company's inability to meet its repayment obligations to us with respect to affected loans or a potential impairment of the value of affected equity investments. This could result in realized losses in the future and ultimately in reductions of our income and gains available for distribution in future periods.

Prepayments of our debt investments by our portfolio companies could adversely impact our results of operations and reduce our return on equity.

        We are subject to the risk that the investments we make in our portfolio companies may be repaid prior to maturity. When this occurs, we will generally reinvest these proceeds in temporary investments, pending their future investment in new portfolio companies. These temporary investments will typically have substantially lower yields than the debt being prepaid and we could experience significant delays in reinvesting these amounts. Any future investment in a new portfolio company may also be at lower yields than the debt that was repaid. As a result, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if one or more of our portfolio companies elect to prepay amounts owed to us. Additionally, prepayments could negatively impact our return on equity, which could result in a decline in the market price of our securities.

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

        Some of our debt investments will bear interest at variable rates and may be negatively affected by changes in market interest rates. An increase in market interest rates would increase the interest costs and reduce the cash flows of our portfolio companies that have variable rate debt instruments, a situation which could reduce the value of the investment. The value of our investments could also be reduced from an increase in market interest rates as rates available to investors could make an investment in our securities less attractive than alternative investments. In addition, an increase in interest rates would make it more expensive for us to use debt to finance our investments. As a result, a significant increase in market interest rates could increase our cost of capital, which would reduce our net investment income. Conversely, decreases in market interest rates could negatively impact the interest income from our variable rate debt investments. A decrease in market interest rates may also have an adverse impact on our returns by requiring us to accept lower yields on our debt investments

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and by increasing the risk that our portfolio companies will prepay our debt investments, resulting in the need to redeploy capital at potentially lower rates.

We may not realize gains from our equity investments.

        Certain investments that we have made in the past and may make in the future include warrants or other equity securities. Investments in equity securities involve a number of significant risks, including the risk of further dilution as a result of additional issuances, inability to access additional capital and failure to pay current distributions. Investments in preferred securities involve special risks, such as the risk of deferred distributions, credit risk, illiquidity and limited voting rights. In addition, we may from time to time make non-control, equity investments in portfolio companies. Our goal is ultimately to realize gains upon our disposition of such equity 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. We also may be unable to realize any value if a portfolio company does not have a liquidity event, such as a sale of the business, recapitalization or public offering, which would allow us to sell the underlying equity interests. We often seek puts or similar rights to give us the right to sell our equity securities back to the portfolio company issuer; however, we may be unable to exercise these put rights for the consideration provided in our investment documents if the issuer is in financial distress.

Our Middle Market and Marketable securities and idle funds investments are subject to risks similar to our portfolio company investments.

        Middle Market and Marketable securities and idle funds investments can include, among other things, secured and unsecured debt investments, independently rated debt investments, diversified bond funds and publicly traded debt and equity securities. Many of these investments in debt obligations are, or would be if rated, below investment grade quality. Indebtedness of below investment grade quality, which is often referred to as "junk," is regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal, similar to our portfolio investments in our portfolio companies. See "—Our investments in portfolio companies involve higher levels of risk, and we could lose all or part of our investment." Many of these Middle Market and Marketable securities and idle funds investments are purchased through over the counter or other markets and are therefore liquid at the time of purchase but may subsequently become illiquid due to events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions or investor perceptions. See "—The lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our business" for a description of risks related to holding illiquid investments. In addition, domestic and foreign markets are complex and interrelated, so that events in one sector of the world markets or economy, or in one geographical region, can reverberate and have materially negative consequences for other market, economic or regional sectors in a manner that may not be foreseen and which may materially affect the market price of our Middle Market and Marketable securities and idle funds investments. Other risks that our portfolio investments are subject to are also applicable to these Middle Market and Marketable securities and idle funds investments.

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

        Our investments in foreign securities may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in investments in U.S. securities. Our investment strategy contemplates potential investments in debt securities of foreign companies. Investing in foreign companies may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. companies. 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 U.S., higher

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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.

        Although most of our investments will be U.S. dollar denominated, any investments denominated in a foreign currency will be subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency will 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.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR SECURITIES

Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, may trade at a discount to their net asset value.

        Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, may trade at a discount to net asset value. This characteristic of closed-end investment companies and BDCs is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. We cannot predict whether our common stock will trade at, above or below net asset value. In addition, if our common stock trades below our net asset value per share, we will generally not be able to issue additional common stock at the market price unless our stockholders approve such a sale and our Board of Directors makes certain determinations. See "—Risks Relating to Our Business and Structure—Stockholders may incur dilution if we sell shares of our common stock in one or more offerings at prices below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock or issue securities to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of our common stock" for a discussion related to us issuing shares of our common stock below net asset value.

We may be unable to invest a significant portion of the net proceeds from an offering or from exiting an investment or other capital on acceptable terms, which could harm our financial condition and operating results.

        Delays in investing the net proceeds raised in an offering or from exiting an investment or other capital may cause our performance to be worse than that of other fully invested BDCs or other lenders or investors pursuing comparable investment strategies. We cannot assure you that we will be able to identify any investments that meet our investment objective or that any investment that we make will produce a positive return. We may be unable to invest the net proceeds of any offering or from exiting an investment or other capital on acceptable terms within the time period that we anticipate or at all, which could harm our financial condition and operating results.

        We anticipate that, depending on market conditions and the amount of the capital, it may take us a substantial period of time to invest substantially all the capital in securities meeting our investment objective. During this period, we will invest the capital primarily in Marketable securities and idle funds investments, which may produce returns that are significantly lower than the returns which we expect to achieve when our portfolio is fully invested in securities meeting our investment objective. As a result, any distributions that we pay during such period may be substantially lower than the distributions that we may be able to pay when our portfolio is fully invested in securities meeting our investment objective. In addition, until such time as the net proceeds of any offering or from exiting an investment or other capital are invested in new securities meeting our investment objective, the market price for our securities may decline. Thus, the initial return on your investment may be lower than when, if ever, our portfolio is fully invested in securities meeting our investment objective.

Investing in our securities may involve an above average degree of risk.

        The investments we make in accordance with our investment objective may result in a higher amount of risk than alternative investment options and a higher risk of volatility or loss of principal.

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Our investments in portfolio companies involve higher levels of risk, and therefore, an investment in our securities may not be suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance.

The market price of our securities may be volatile and fluctuate significantly.

        Fluctuations in the trading prices of our securities may adversely affect the liquidity of the trading market for our securities and, if we seek to raise capital through future securities offerings, our ability to raise such capital. 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:

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

        The Maryland General Corporation Law and our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging, delaying or making difficult a change in control of our company or the removal of our incumbent directors. The existence of these provisions, among others, may have a negative impact on the price of our common stock and may discourage third-party bids for ownership of our company. These provisions may prevent any premiums being offered to you for our common stock.

We may in the future determine to issue preferred stock, which could adversely affect the market value of our common stock.

        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

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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.


CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        Some of the statements in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement constitute forward-looking statements because they relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement may include statements as to:

        In addition, words such as "anticipate," "believe," "expect" and "intend" indicate a forward-looking statement, although not all forward-looking statements include these words. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those implied or expressed in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including the factors set forth in "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include:

        We have based the forward-looking statements included in this prospectus and will base the forward-looking statements included in any accompanying prospectus supplement on information available to us on the date of this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, as appropriate, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Although we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, you are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you, including in the form of a prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement, 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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USE OF PROCEEDS

        We intend to use the net proceeds from any offering to make investments in accordance with our investment objective and strategies described in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, to make investments in Marketable securities and idle funds investments, which may include investments in secured intermediate term bank debt, rated debt securities and other income producing investments, to pay our operating expenses and other cash obligations, and for general corporate purposes. Our ability to achieve our investment objective may be limited to the extent that the net proceeds from an offering, pending full investment, are held in interest-bearing deposits or other short-term instruments. See "Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Securities—We may be unable to invest a significant portion of the net proceeds from an offering or from exiting an investment or other capital on acceptable terms, which could harm our financial condition and operating results." The supplement to this prospectus relating to an offering will more fully identify the use of proceeds from such an offering.


PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK AND DISTRIBUTIONS

        Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "MAIN." Prior to October 14, 2010, our common stock was traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the same symbol "MAIN." Our common stock began trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on October 5, 2007. Prior to that date, there was no established public trading market for our common stock.

        The following table sets forth, for each fiscal quarter during 2016, 2015 and 2014, the range of high and low closing prices of our common stock as reported on the NYSE, and the sales price as a percentage of the net asset value per share of our common stock.

 
   
  Price Range   Premium of
High Sales
Price to
NAV(2)
  Premium of
Low Sales
Price to
NAV(2)
 
 
  NAV(1)   High   Low  

Year ending December 31, 2016

                               

Second Quarter (through May 13, 2016)

    *   $ 31.91   $ 30.52     *     *  

First Quarter

  $ 21.18     31.46     26.35     49%     24%  

Year ending December 31, 2015

                               

Fourth Quarter

  $ 21.24   $ 32.28   $ 27.69     52%     30%  

Third Quarter

    21.79     33.08     26.38     52%     21%  

Second Quarter

    21.84     32.59     30.47     49%     40%  

First Quarter

    21.87     31.47     27.87     44%     27%  

Year ending December 31, 2014

                               

Fourth Quarter

  $ 20.85   $ 32.68   $ 27.48     57%     32%  

Third Quarter

    21.08     32.87     30.38     56%     44%  

Second Quarter

    21.03     33.54     29.55     59%     41%  

First Quarter

    20.14     35.69     32.23     77%     60%  

(1)
Net asset value per share, or NAV, is determined as of the last day in the relevant quarter and therefore may not reflect the net asset value per share on the date of the high and low sales prices. The net asset values shown are based on outstanding shares at the end of each period. Net asset value has not yet been determined for the second quarter of 2016.

(2)
Calculated as the respective high or low share price divided by NAV for such quarter.

        On May 13, 2016 the last sale price of our common stock on the NYSE was $31.76 per share, and there were approximately 251 holders of record of the common stock which did not include stockholders for whom shares are held in "nominee" or "street name." The net asset value per share of

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our common stock on March 31, 2016 (the last date prior to the date of this prospectus on which we determined our net asset value per share) was $21.18, and the premium of the May 13, 2016 closing price of our common stock was 50% to this net asset value per share.

        Shares of BDCs may trade at a market price that is less than the value of the net assets attributable to those shares. The possibility that our shares of common stock will trade at a discount from net asset value per share or at premiums that are unsustainable over the long term are separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share will decrease. It is not possible to predict whether our common stock will trade at, above, or below net asset value per share. Since our IPO in October 2007, our shares of common stock have traded at prices both less than and exceeding our net asset value per share.

        We currently pay regular monthly dividends and semi-annual supplemental dividends to our stockholders. Our monthly dividends, if any, will be determined by our Board of Directors on a quarterly basis. Our semi-annual supplemental dividends, if any, will be determined by our Board of

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Directors based upon our undistributed taxable income. The following table summarizes our dividends declared to date:

Date Declared
  Record Date   Payment Date   Amount(1)  

Fiscal year 2016

               

May 3, 2016

  August 19, 2016   September 15, 2016   $ 0.180  

May 3, 2016

  July 21, 2016   August 15, 2016   $ 0.180  

May 3, 2016

  July 1, 2016   July 15, 2016   $ 0.180  

April 20, 2016

  June 20, 2016   June 27, 2016   $ 0.275  

February 23, 2016

  May 20, 2016   June 15, 2016   $ 0.180  

February 23, 2016

  April 21, 2016   May 16, 2016   $ 0.180  

February 23, 2016

  March 21, 2016   April 15, 2016   $ 0.180  

November 3, 2015

  February 22, 2016   March 15, 2016   $ 0.180  

November 3, 2015

  January 22, 2016   February 17, 2016   $ 0.180  

November 3, 2015

  December 30, 2015   January 15, 2016   $ 0.180 (2)

          $ 1.895  

Fiscal year 2015

               

October 20, 2015

  December 17, 2015   December 24, 2015   $ 0.275 (2)

August 3, 2015

  November 20, 2015   December 14, 2015   $ 0.180 (2)

August 3, 2015

  October 21, 2015   November 16, 2015   $ 0.180 (2)

August 3, 2015

  September 21, 2015   October 15, 2015   $ 0.180 (2)

May 5, 2015

  August 20, 2015   September 15, 2015   $ 0.175 (2)

May 5, 2015

  July 21, 2015   August 14, 2015   $ 0.175 (2)

May 5, 2015

  July 1, 2015   July 15, 2015   $ 0.175 (2)

April 22, 2015

  June 18, 2015   June 25, 2015   $ 0.275 (2)

February 24, 2015

  May 20, 2015   June 15, 2015   $ 0.175 (2)

February 24, 2015

  April 21, 2015   May 15, 2015   $ 0.175 (2)

February 24, 2015

  March 20, 2015   April 15, 2015   $ 0.175 (2)

November 6, 2014

  February 20, 2015   March 16, 2015   $ 0.170 (2)

November 6, 2014

  January 21, 2015   February 13, 2015   $ 0.170 (2)

November 6, 2014

  December 31, 2014   January 15, 2015   $ 0.170 (3)

Total

          $ 2.650  

Fiscal year 2014

               

October 23, 2014

  December 18, 2014   December 24, 2014   $ 0.275 (3)

August 4, 2014

  November 20, 2014   December 15, 2014   $ 0.170 (3)

August 4, 2014

  October 20, 2014   November 14, 2014   $ 0.170 (3)

August 4, 2014

  September 19, 2014   October 15, 2014   $ 0.170 (3)

May 6, 2014

  August 20, 2014   September 15, 2014   $ 0.165 (3)

May 6, 2014

  July 21, 2014   August 15, 2014   $ 0.165 (3)

May 6, 2014

  June 30, 2014   July 15, 2014   $ 0.165 (3)

April 21, 2014

  June 20, 2014   June 25, 2014   $ 0.275 (3)

February 26, 2014

  May 21, 2014   June 16, 2014   $ 0.165 (3)

February 26, 2014

  April 20, 2014   May 15, 2014   $ 0.165 (3)

February 26, 2014

  March 21, 2014   April 15, 2014   $ 0.165 (3)

November 6, 2013

  February 20, 2014   March 14, 2014   $ 0.165 (3)

November 6, 2013

  January 21, 2014   February 14, 2014   $ 0.165 (3)

November 6, 2013

  December 30, 2013   January 15, 2014   $ 0.165 (4)

Total

          $ 2.545  

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Date Declared
  Record Date   Payment Date   Amount(1)  

Fiscal year 2013

               

November 20, 2013

  December 19, 2013   December 24, 2013   $ 0.250 (4)

August 6, 2013

  November 21, 2013   December 16, 2013   $ 0.160 (4)

August 6, 2013

  October 21, 2013   November 15, 2013   $ 0.160 (4)

August 6, 2013

  September 20, 2013   October 15, 2013   $ 0.160 (4)

May 13, 2013

  July 22, 2013   July 26, 2013   $ 0.200 (4)

May 8, 2013

  May 21, 2013   September 16, 2013   $ 0.155 (4)

May 8, 2013

  July 17, 2013   August 15, 2013   $ 0.155 (4)

May 8, 2013

  June 18, 2013   July 15, 2013   $ 0.155 (4)

March 5, 2013

  May 21, 2013   June 14, 2013   $ 0.155 (4)

March 5, 2013

  April 19, 2013   May 15, 2013   $ 0.155 (4)

March 5, 2013

  March 21, 2013   April 15, 2013   $ 0.155 (4)

November 6, 2012

  February 21, 2013   March 15, 2013   $ 0.150 (4)

November 6, 2012

  January 18, 2013   February 15, 2013   $ 0.150 (4)

November 6, 2012

  January 4, 2013   January 23, 2013   $ 0.350 (4)

November 6, 2012

  December 20, 2012   January 15, 2013   $ 0.150 (5)

Total

          $ 2.660  

 

 
  Amount(1)  

Fiscal year 2012

       

Total

  $ 1.710 (5)(6)

Fiscal year 2011

       

Total

  $ 1.560 (6)

Fiscal year 2010

       

Total

  $ 1.500 (7)

Fiscal year 2009

       

Total

  $ 1.500 (8)(9)

Fiscal year 2008

       

Total

  $ 1.425 (9)

Fiscal year 2007

       

Total

  $ 0.330 (10)

Cumulative dividends declared or paid

  $ 17.775  

(1)
The determination of the tax attributes of Main Street's distributions is made annually, based upon its taxable income for the full year and distributions paid for the full year. Ordinary dividend distributions from a RIC do not qualify for the tax rate applicable to "qualified dividend income" from domestic corporations and qualified foreign corporations, except to the extent that the RIC received the income in the form of qualifying dividends from domestic corporations and qualified foreign corporations.

(2)
These dividends attributable to fiscal year 2015 were comprised of ordinary income of $2.325 per share, long term capital gain of $0.231 per share, and qualified dividend income of $0.105 per share, and included dividends with a record date during fiscal year 2015, including the dividend declared and accrued as of December 31, 2015 and paid on January 15, 2016, pursuant to the Code.

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(3)
These dividends attributable to fiscal year 2014 were comprised of ordinary income of $2.083 per share, long term capital gain of $0.419 per share, and qualified dividend income of $0.048 per share, and included dividends with a record date during fiscal year 2014, including the dividend declared and accrued as of December 31, 2014 and paid on January 15, 2015, pursuant to the Code.

(4)
These dividends attributable to fiscal year 2013 were comprised of ordinary income of $1.872 per share, long term capital gain of $0.346 per share, and qualified dividend income of $0.457 per share, and included dividends with a record date during fiscal year 2013, including the dividend declared and accrued as of December 31, 2013 and paid on January 15, 2014, pursuant to the Code.

(5)
These dividends attributable to fiscal year 2012 were comprised of ordinary income of $0.923 per share, long term capital gain of $0.748 per share, and qualified dividend income of $0.054 per share, and included dividends with a record date during fiscal year 2012, including the dividend declared and accrued as of December 31, 2012 and paid on January 15, 2013, pursuant to the Code.

(6)
These dividends attributable to fiscal year 2011 were comprised of ordinary income of $1.253 per share, long term capital gain of $0.373 per share, and qualified dividend income of $0.069 per share, and included dividends with a record date during fiscal year 2011, including the dividend declared and accrued as of December 31, 2011 and paid on January 16, 2012, pursuant to the Code.

(7)
These dividends attributable to fiscal year 2010 were comprised of ordinary income of $1.220 per share, long term capital gain of $0.268 per share, and qualified dividend income of $0.012 per share.

(8)
These dividends attributable to fiscal year 2009 were comprised of ordinary income of $1.218 per share and long term capital gain of $0.157 per share and excluded the $0.125 paid on January 15, 2009 which had been declared and accrued as of December 31, 2008.

(9)
These dividends attributable to fiscal year 2008 were comprised of ordinary income of $0.953 per share and long term capital gain of $0.597 per share, and included dividends with a record date during fiscal year 2008, including the $0.125 per share dividend declared and accrued as of December 31, 2008 and paid on January 15, 2009, pursuant to the Code.

(10)
This quarterly dividend attributable to fiscal year 2007 was comprised of ordinary income of $0.105 per share and long term capital gain of $0.225 per share.

        In accordance with the IRC sections 871(k) and 881(e), the following percentages represent the portion of our dividends that constitute interest-related dividends and short-term capital gains dividends for non-U.S. residents and foreign corporations. These percentages should be combined with the long-term capital gains discussed above to derive the total dividends which are exempt from United States withholding tax.

Payment Dates
  Interest-Related
Dividends and
Short-Term
Capital Gain
Dividends
 

From 2/13/2015 to 5/15/2015

    69.29%  

6/15/2015

    71.51%  

From 6/25/2015 to 1/15/2016

    75.79%  

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        To the extent non-U.S. resident taxes were withheld on ordinary dividends distributed, this information may be considered in connection with any claims for refund of such taxes to be filed by the non-U.S. resident shareholder with the Internal Revenue Service.

        To obtain and maintain RIC tax treatment, we must, among other things, distribute at least 90% of our net ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any. We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible U.S. federal excise tax on certain undistributed taxable income unless we distribute in a timely manner an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our net ordinary taxable income for each calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income for the one-year period ending December 31 in that calendar year and (3) any income recognized, but not distributed, in preceding years on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax (the "Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement"). Dividends declared and paid by us in a year will generally differ from taxable income for that year, as such dividends may include the distribution of current year taxable income, less amounts carried over into the following year, and the distribution of prior year taxable income carried over into and distributed in the current year. For amounts we carry over into the following year, we will be required to pay a 4% U.S. federal excise tax on the amount by which 98% of our annual ordinary taxable income and 98.2% of capital gains exceeds our distributions for the year. We may retain for investment some or all of our net capital gains (i.e., realized net long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital losses) and treat such amounts as deemed distributions to our stockholders. If we do this, our stockholders will be treated as if they had received actual distributions of the capital gains we retained and then reinvested the net after-tax proceeds in our common stock. In general, our stockholders also would be eligible to claim a tax credit (or, in certain circumstances, a tax refund) equal to their allocable shares of the tax we paid on the capital gains deemed distributed to them. We can offer no assurance that we will achieve results that will permit the payment of any cash distributions and, if we issue senior securities, we may be prohibited from making distributions if doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated by the 1940 Act or if distributions are limited by the terms of any of our borrowings.

        We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in part in our stock. Under certain applicable provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations, distributions payable by us in cash or in shares of stock (at the stockholders election) would satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement. The IRS has issued private letter rulings providing that a dividend payable in stock or in cash at the election of the stockholders will be treated as a taxable dividend eligible for the dividends paid deduction provided that at least 20% of the total dividend is payable in cash and certain other requirements are satisfied. Taxable stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income (or as long-term capital gain to the extent such dividend is properly reported as a capital gain dividend), to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. stockholder may be required to pay tax with respect to such dividends in excess of any cash received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock 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 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 stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our stock.

        We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan ("DRIP") that provides for the reinvestment of dividends on behalf of our stockholders, unless a stockholder has elected to receive dividends in cash. As a result, if we declare a cash dividend, our stockholders who have not "opted out" of the DRIP by the dividend record date will have their cash dividend automatically reinvested into additional shares of MSCC common stock. The share requirements of the DRIP may be satisfied through the issuance of new shares of common stock or through open market purchases of common stock by the DRIP plan

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administrator. Newly-issued shares will be valued based upon the final closing price of MSCC's common stock on a valuation date determined for each dividend by our Board of Directors. Shares purchased in the open market to satisfy the DRIP requirements will be valued based upon the average price of the applicable shares purchased by the DRIP plan administrator, before any associated brokerage or other costs.


RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

        The following table contains our ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the periods indicated, computed as set forth below. You should read these ratios of earnings to fixed charges in connection with our consolidated financial statements, including the notes to those statements, included in this prospectus.

 
  For the
Three Months
Ended
March 31,
2016
  For the Year
Ended
December 31,
2015
  For the Year
Ended
December 31,
2014
  For the Year
Ended
December 31,
2013
  For the Year
Ended
December 31,
2012
  For the Year
Ended
December 31,
2011
 

Earnings to Fixed Charges(1)

    2.78     3.98     5.54     5.78     8.37     6.21  

(1)
Earnings include net realized and unrealized gains or losses. Net realized and unrealized gains or losses can vary substantially from period to period.

        For purposes of computing the ratios of earnings to fixed charges, earnings represent net increase in net assets resulting from operations plus (or minus) income tax expense (benefit) including excise tax expense plus fixed charges. Fixed charges include interest and credit facility fees expense and amortization of debt issuance costs.

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SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

        The selected financial and other data below reflects the consolidated financial condition and the consolidated statement of operations of Main Street and its subsidiaries as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011, and as of March 31, 2016 and for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015. The selected financial data as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 have been derived from consolidated financial statements that have been audited by Grant Thornton LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. The selected financial data as of March 31, 2016, and for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, have been derived from unaudited financial data but, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that are necessary to present fairly the financial condition and operating results for such interim periods. Interim results as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2016. You should read this selected financial and other data in conjunction with our "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," "Senior Securities" and the financial statements and related notes in this prospectus.

 
  Three Months
Ended
March 31,
  Twelve Months Ended December 31,  
 
  2016   2015   2015   2014   2013   2012   2011  
 
  (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
 
 
  (Unaudited)
   
   
   
   
   
 

Statement of operations data:

                                           

Investment income:

                                           

Total interest, fee and dividend income

  $ 41,875   $ 36,805   $ 163,603   $ 139,939   $ 115,158   $ 88,858   $ 65,045  

Interest from idle funds and other

    131     374     986     824     1,339     1,662     1,195  

Total investment income

    42,006     37,179     164,589     140,763     116,497     90,520     66,240  

Expenses:

                                           

Interest

    (8,182 )   (7,796 )   (32,115 )   (23,589 )   (20,238 )   (15,631 )   (13,518 )

Compensation

    (3,820 )   (3,494 )   (14,852 )   (12,337 )   (8,560 )        

General and administrative

    (2,405 )   (1,962 )   (8,621 )   (7,134 )   (4,877 )   (2,330 )   (2,483 )

Share-based compensation

    (1,589 )   (1,263 )   (6,262 )   (4,215 )   (4,210 )   (2,565 )   (2,047 )

Expenses allocated to the External Investment Manager

    1,154     827     4,335     2,048              

Expenses reimbursed to MSCP(1)

                    (3,189 )   (10,669 )   (8,915 )

Total expenses

    (14,842 )   (13,688 )   (57,515 )   (45,227 )   (41,074 )   (31,195 )   (26,963 )

Net investment income

    27,164     23,491     107,074     95,536     75,423     59,325     39,277  

Total net realized gain (loss) from investments

    13,603     (2,120 )   (21,316 )   23,206     7,277     16,479     2,639  

Total net realized loss from SBIC debentures

                    (4,775 )        

Total net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) from investments

    (26,072 )   14,455     10,871     (776 )   14,503     44,464     34,989  

Total net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) from SBIC debentures and investment in MSCP(1)

    (146 )   (693 )   (879 )   (10,931 )   4,392     (5,004 )   (6,511 )

Income tax benefit (provision)

    2,263     291     8,687     (6,287 )   35     (10,820 )   (6,288 )

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

    16,812     35,424     104,437     100,748     96,855     104,444     64,106  

Noncontrolling interest

                        (54 )   (1,139 )

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations attributable to common stock

  $ 16,812   $ 35,424   $ 104,437   $ 100,748   $ 96,855   $ 104,390   $ 62,967  

Net investment income per share—basic and diluted

  $ 0.54   $ 0.51   $ 2.18   $ 2.20   $ 2.06   $ 2.01   $ 1.69  

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations attributable to common stock per share—basic and diluted

  $ 0.33   $ 0.77   $ 2.13   $ 2.31   $ 2.65   $ 3.53   $ 2.76  

Weighted average shares outstanding—basic and diluted

    50,549,780     46,080,204     49,071,492     43,522,397     36,617,850     29,540,114     22,850,299  

(1)
As defined in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies—Basis of Presentation."

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  As of December 31,  
 
  As of
March 31,
2016
 
 
  2015   2014   2013   2012   2011  
 
  (dollars in thousands)
 
 
  (Unaudited)
   
   
   
   
   
 

Balance sheet data:

                                     

Assets:

                                     

Total portfolio investments at fair value

  $ 1,818,071   $ 1,799,996   $ 1,563,330   $ 1,286,188   $ 924,431   $ 658,093  

Marketable securities and idle funds investments

    1,519     3,693     9,067     13,301     28,535     26,242  

Cash and cash equivalents

    17,223     20,331     60,432     34,701     63,517     42,650  

Interest receivable and other assets

    43,244     37,638     46,406     16,054     14,580     6,539  

Deferred financing costs, net of accumulated amortization

    12,651     13,267     14,550     9,931     5,162     4,168  

Deferred tax asset, net

    8,442     4,003                  

Total assets

  $ 1,901,150   $ 1,878,928   $ 1,693,785   $ 1,360,175   $ 1,036,225   $ 737,692  

Liabilities and net assets:

                                     

Credit facility

  $ 306,000   $ 291,000   $ 218,000   $ 237,000   $ 132,000   $ 107,000  

SBIC debentures at fair value(1)

    223,806     223,660     222,781     187,050     211,467     201,887  

4.50% Notes

    175,000     175,000     175,000              

6.125% Notes

    90,655     90,738     90,823     90,882          

Dividend payable

    9,113     9,074     7,663     6,577     5,188     2,856  

Interest payable

    5,185     3,959     4,848     2,556     3,562     3,984  

Accounts payable and other liabilities

    5,847     12,292     10,701     10,549     8,593     7,001  

Payable for securities purchased

    8,546     2,311     14,773     27,088     20,661      

Deferred tax liability, net

            9,214     5,940     11,778     3,776  

Total liabilities

    824,152     808,034     753,803     567,642     393,249     326,504  

Total net asset value

    1,076,998     1,070,894     939,982     792,533     642,976     405,711  

Noncontrolling interest

                        5,477  

Total liabilities and net assets

  $ 1,901,150   $ 1,878,928   $ 1,693,785   $ 1,360,175   $ 1,036,225   $ 737,692  

Other data:

                                     

Weighted average effective yield on LMM debt investments(2)

    12.4%     12.2%     13.2%     14.7%     14.3%     14.8%  

Number of LMM portfolio companies

    72     71     66     62     56     54  

Weighted average effective yield on Middle Market debt investments(2)

    8.1%     8.0%     7.8%     7.8%     8.0%     9.5%  

Number of Middle Market portfolio companies

    84     86     86     92     79     57  

Weighted average effective yield on Private Loan debt investments(2)

    9.6%     9.5%     10.1%     11.3%     14.8%      

Number of Private Loan portfolio companies

    42     40     31     15     9      

Expense ratios (as percentage of average net assets):

                                     

Total expenses, including income tax expense

    1.2%     4.6%     5.8%     5.8%     8.2% (3)   9.8% (3)

Operating expenses

    1.4%     5.5%     5.1%     5.8%     6.1% (3)   8.0% (3)

Operating expenses, excluding interest expense

    0.6%     2.4%     2.4%     3.0%     3.0% (3)   4.0% (3)

(1)
SBIC debentures for March 31, 2016, December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 are $225,000, $225,000, $225,000, $200,200, $225,000 and $220,000 at par, respectively, with par of $75,200 for March 31, 2016, December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, $100,000 for December 31, 2012, and $95,000 for December 31, 2011 recorded at fair value of $74,006, $73,860, $72,981, $62,050, $86,467 and 76,887, as of March 31, 2016, December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

(2)
Weighted-average effective yield is calculated based on our debt investments at the end of each period and includes amortization of deferred debt origination fees and accretion of original issue discount, but excludes liquidation fees payable upon repayment and any debt investments on non-accrual status.

(3)
Ratios are net of amounts attributable to MSC II non-controlling interest.

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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 the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.

        Statements we make in the following discussion which express a belief, expectation or intention, as well as those that are not historical fact, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, could differ materially from those we express in the following discussion as a result of a variety of factors, including the risks and uncertainties we have referred to under the headings "Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in this prospectus.

ORGANIZATION

        Main Street Capital Corporation ("MSCC") is a principal investment firm primarily focused on providing customized debt and equity financing to lower middle market ("LMM") companies and debt capital to middle market ("Middle Market") companies. The portfolio investments of MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries are typically made to support management buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings, refinancings and acquisitions of companies that operate in diverse industry sectors. MSCC seeks to partner with entrepreneurs, business owners and management teams and generally provides "one stop" financing alternatives within its LMM portfolio. MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries invest primarily in secured debt investments, equity investments, warrants and other securities of LMM companies based in the United States and in secured debt investments of Middle Market companies generally headquartered in the United States.

        MSCC was formed in March 2007 to operate as an internally managed business development company ("BDC") under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). MSCC wholly owns several investment funds, including Main Street Mezzanine Fund, LP ("MSMF") and Main Street Capital II, LP ("MSC II" and, together with MSMF, the "Funds"), and each of their general partners. The Funds are each licensed as a Small Business Investment Company ("SBIC") by the United States Small Business Administration ("SBA"). Because MSCC is internally managed, all of the executive officers and other employees are employed by MSCC. Therefore, MSCC does not pay any external investment advisory fees but instead directly incurs the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals.

        MSC Adviser I, LLC (the "External Investment Manager") was formed in November 2013 as a wholly owned subsidiary of MSCC to provide investment management and other services to parties other than MSCC and its subsidiaries or their portfolio companies ("External Parties") and receive fee income for such services. MSCC has been granted no-action relief by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to allow the External Investment Manager to register as a registered investment adviser ("RIA") under Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act"). Since the External Investment Manager conducts all of its investment management activities for External Parties, it is accounted for as a portfolio investment of MSCC and is not included as a consolidated subsidiary of MSCC in MSCC's consolidated financial statements.

        MSCC has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company ("RIC") under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). As a result, MSCC generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gains that it distributes to its stockholders.

        MSCC has certain direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries that have elected to be taxable entities (the "Taxable Subsidiaries"). The primary purpose of the Taxable Subsidiaries is to permit MSCC to hold equity investments in portfolio companies which are "pass-through" entities for tax

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purposes. The External Investment Manager is also a direct wholly owned subsidiary that has elected to be a taxable entity. The Taxable Subsidiaries and the External Investment Manager are each taxed at their normal corporate tax rates based on their taxable income.

        Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the terms "we," "us," "our," the "Company" and "Main Street" refer to MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries, which include the Funds and the Taxable Subsidiaries.

OVERVIEW

        Our principal investment objective is to maximize our portfolio's total return by generating current income from our debt investments and capital appreciation from our equity and equity related investments, including warrants, convertible securities and other rights to acquire equity securities in a portfolio company. Our LMM companies generally have annual revenues between $10 million and $150 million, and our LMM portfolio investments generally range in size from $5 million to $50 million. Our Middle Market investments are made in businesses that are generally larger in size than our LMM portfolio companies, with annual revenues typically between $150 million and $1.5 billion, and our Middle Market investments generally range in size from $3 million to $15 million. Our private loan ("Private Loan") portfolio investments are primarily debt securities which have been originated through strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis. Private Loan investments are typically similar in size, structure, terms and conditions to investments we hold in our LMM portfolio and Middle Market portfolio.

        We seek to fill the financing gap for LMM businesses, which, historically, have had more limited access to financing from commercial banks and other traditional sources. The underserved nature of the LMM creates the opportunity for us to meet the financing needs of LMM companies while also negotiating favorable transaction terms and equity participations. Our ability to invest across a company's capital structure, from secured loans to equity securities, allows us to offer portfolio companies a comprehensive suite of financing options, or a "one stop" financing solution. Providing customized, "one stop" financing solutions is important to LMM portfolio companies. We generally seek to partner directly with entrepreneurs, management teams and business owners in making our investments. Our LMM portfolio debt investments are generally secured by a first lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between five and seven years from the original investment date.

        Our Middle Market portfolio investments primarily consist of direct investments in or secondary purchases of interest bearing debt securities in privately held companies that are generally larger in size than the companies included in our LMM portfolio. Our Middle Market portfolio debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have an expected duration of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

        Our Private Loan portfolio investments are primarily debt securities in privately held companies which have been originated through strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis, and are often referred to in the debt markets as "club deals." Private Loan investments are typically similar in size, structure, terms and conditions to investments we hold in our LMM portfolio and Middle Market portfolio. Our Private Loan portfolio debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

        Our other portfolio ("Other Portfolio") investments primarily consist of investments which are not consistent with the typical profiles for our LMM, Middle Market or Private Loan portfolio investments, including investments which may be managed by third parties. In our Other Portfolio, we may incur indirect fees and expenses in connection with investments managed by third parties, such as investments in other investment companies or private funds.

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        Our external asset management business is conducted through the External Investment Manager. The External Investment Manager earns management fees based on the assets of the funds under management and may earn incentive fees, or a carried interest, based on the performance of the funds managed. We have entered into an agreement with the External Investment Manager to share employees in connection with its asset management business generally, and specifically for its relationship with HMS Income Fund, Inc. ("HMS Income"). Through this agreement, we share employees with the External Investment Manager, including their related infrastructure, business relationships, management expertise and capital raising capabilities.

        The following tables provide a summary of our investments in the LMM, Middle Market and Private Loan portfolios as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (this information excludes the Other Portfolio investments and the External Investment Manager which are discussed further below):

 
  As of March 31, 2016  
 
  LMM(a)   Middle
Market
  Private
Loan
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Number of portfolio companies

    72     84     42  

Fair value

  $ 860.7   $ 579.5   $ 271.3  

Cost

  $ 694.5   $ 636.3   $ 294.8  

% of portfolio at cost—debt

    70.9%     98.0%     93.7%  

% of portfolio at cost—equity

    29.1%     2.0%     6.3%  

% of debt investments at cost secured by first priority lien

    91.7%     85.4%     86.7%  

Weighted-average annual effective yield(b)

    12.4%     8.1%     9.6%  

Average EBITDA(c)

  $ 6.1   $ 94.2   $ 13.7  

(a)
At March 31, 2016, we had equity ownership in approximately 96% of our LMM portfolio companies, and the average fully diluted equity ownership in those portfolio companies was approximately 35%.

(b)
The weighted-average annual effective yields were computed using the effective interest rates for all debt investments at cost as of March 31, 2016, including amortization of deferred debt origination fees and accretion of original issue discount but excluding fees payable upon repayment of the debt instruments and any debt investments on non-accrual status. Weighted-average annual effective yield is higher than what an investor in shares of our common stock will realize on its investment because it does not reflect our expenses or any sales load paid by an investor.

(c)
The average EBITDA is calculated using a simple average for the LMM portfolio and a weighted average for the Middle Market and Private Loan portfolios. These calculations exclude certain portfolio companies, including five LMM portfolio companies, four Middle Market portfolio companies and six Private Loan portfolio companies, as

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  As of December 31, 2015  
 
  LMM(a)   Middle
Market
  Private
Loan
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Number of portfolio companies

    71     86     40  

Fair value

  $ 862.7   $ 586.9   $ 248.3  

Cost

  $ 685.6   $ 637.2   $ 268.6  

% of total investments at cost—debt

    70.4%     98.3%     94.3%  

% of total investments at cost—equity

    29.6%     1.7%     5.7%  

% of debt investments at cost secured by first priority lien

    91.8%     86.6%     87.3%  

Weighted-average annual effective yield(b)

    12.2%     8.0%     9.5%  

Average EBITDA(c)

  $ 6.0   $ 98.8   $ 13.1  

(a)
At December 31, 2015, we had equity ownership in approximately 96% of our LMM portfolio companies, and the average fully diluted equity ownership in those portfolio companies was approximately 36%.

(b)
The weighted-average annual effective yields were computed using the effective interest rates for all debt investments at cost as of December 31, 2015, including amortization of deferred debt origination fees and accretion of original issue discount but excluding fees payable upon repayment of the debt instruments and any debt investments on non-accrual status. Weighted-average annual effective yield is higher than what an investor in shares of our common stock will realize on its investment because it does not reflect our expenses or any sales load paid by an investor.

(c)
The average EBITDA is calculated using a simple average for the LMM portfolio and a weighted average for the Middle Market and Private Loan portfolios. These calculations exclude certain portfolio companies, including five LMM portfolio companies, three Middle Market portfolio companies and six Private Loan portfolio companies, as EBITDA is not a meaningful valuation metric for our investments in these portfolio companies, and those portfolio companies whose primary purpose is to own real estate.

        As of March 31, 2016, we had Other Portfolio investments in ten companies, collectively totaling approximately $78.7 million in fair value and approximately $86.6 million in cost basis and which comprised approximately 4.3% of our Investment Portfolio (as defined in "—Critical Accounting Policies—Basis of Presentation" below) at fair value. As of December 31, 2015, we had Other Portfolio investments in ten companies, collectively totaling approximately $74.8 million in fair value and approximately $75.2 million in cost basis and which comprised approximately 4.2% of our Investment Portfolio at fair value.

        As previously discussed, the External Investment Manager is a wholly owned subsidiary that is treated as a portfolio investment. As of March 31, 2016, there was no cost basis in this investment and the investment had a fair value of $27.8 million, which comprised 1.5% of our Investment Portfolio at fair value. As of December 31, 2015, there was no cost basis in this investment and the investment had a fair value of $27.3 million, which comprised 1.5% of our Investment Portfolio at fair value.

        Our portfolio investments are generally made through MSCC and the Funds. MSCC and the Funds share the same investment strategies and criteria, although they are subject to different regulatory regimes. An investor's return in MSCC will depend, in part, on the Funds' investment returns as they are wholly owned subsidiaries of MSCC.

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        The level of new portfolio investment activity will fluctuate from period to period based upon our view of the current economic fundamentals, our ability to identify new investment opportunities that meet our investment criteria, and our ability to consummate the identified opportunities. The level of new investment activity, and associated interest and fee income, will directly impact future investment income. In addition, the level of dividends paid by portfolio companies and the portion of our portfolio debt investments on non-accrual status will directly impact future investment income. While we intend to grow our portfolio and our investment income over the long term, our growth and our operating results may be more limited during depressed economic periods. However, we intend to appropriately manage our cost structure and liquidity position based on applicable economic conditions and our investment outlook. The level of realized gains or losses and unrealized appreciation or depreciation on our investments will also fluctuate depending upon portfolio activity, economic conditions and the performance of our individual portfolio companies. The changes in realized gains and losses and unrealized appreciation or depreciation could have a material impact on our operating results.

        Because we are internally managed, we do not pay any external investment advisory fees, but instead directly incur the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals. We believe that our internally managed structure provides us with a beneficial operating expense structure when compared to other publicly traded and privately held investment firms which are externally managed, and our internally managed structure allows us the opportunity to leverage our non-interest operating expenses as we grow our Investment Portfolio. For each of the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, the ratio of our total operating expenses, excluding interest expense, as a percentage of our quarterly average total assets was 1.4% on an annualized basis.

        During May 2012, we entered into an investment sub-advisory agreement with HMS Adviser, LP ("HMS Adviser"), which is the investment advisor to HMS Income, a non-publicly traded BDC, to provide certain investment advisory services to HMS Adviser. In December 2013, after obtaining required no-action relief from the SEC to allow us to own a registered investment adviser, we assigned the sub-advisory agreement to the External Investment Manager since the fees received from such arrangement could otherwise have negative consequences on our ability to meet the source-of-income requirement necessary for us to maintain our RIC tax treatment. Under the investment sub-advisory agreement, the External Investment Manager is entitled to 50% of the base management fee and the incentive fees earned by HMS Adviser under its advisory agreement with HMS Income. Based upon several fee waiver agreements with HMS Income and HMS Adviser, the External Investment Manager did not begin accruing the base management fee and incentive fees, if any, until January 1, 2014. Beginning January 1, 2016, the External Investment Manager conditionally agreed to waive a limited amount of the incentive fees otherwise earned during the three months ended March 31, 2016. During the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, the External Investment Manager earned $2.3 million and $1.4 million, respectively, of management fees (net of fees waived, if any) under the sub-advisory agreement with HMS Adviser.

        During April 2014, we received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting co-investments by us and HMS Income in certain negotiated transactions where co-investing would otherwise be prohibited under the 1940 Act. We have made, and in the future intend to continue to make, such co-investments with HMS Income in accordance with the conditions of the order. The order requires, among other things, that we and the External Investment Manager consider whether each such investment opportunity is appropriate for HMS Income and, if it is appropriate, to propose an allocation of the investment opportunity between us and HMS Income. Because the External Investment Manager may receive performance-based fee compensation from HMS Income, this may provide it an incentive to allocate opportunities to HMS Income instead of us. However, we and the External Investment Manager have policies and procedures in place to avoid this conflict.

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CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

        Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP"). For each of the periods presented herein, our consolidated financial statements include the accounts of MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries. The Investment Portfolio, as used herein, refers to all of our investments in LMM portfolio companies, investments in Middle Market portfolio companies, Private Loan portfolio investments, Other Portfolio investments, and the investment in the External Investment Manager, but excludes all "Marketable securities and idle funds investments". "Marketable securities and idle funds investments" are classified as financial instruments and are reported separately on our consolidated balance sheets and consolidated schedules of investments due to the nature of such investments. Our results of operations and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 and financial position as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, are presented on a consolidated basis. The effects of all intercompany transactions between us and our consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated in consolidation.

        Our accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are presented in conformity with U.S. GAAP for interim financial information and pursuant to the requirements for reporting on Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, certain disclosures accompanying annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP are omitted. In the opinion of management, the unaudited consolidated financial results included herein contain all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring accruals, considered necessary for the fair presentation of financial statements for the interim periods included herein. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results to be expected for the full year. Also, the unaudited financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2015. Financial statements prepared on a U.S. GAAP basis require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts and disclosures reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Such estimates and assumptions could change in the future as more information becomes known, which could impact the amounts reported and disclosed herein.

        Under regulations pursuant to Article 6 of Regulation S-X applicable to BDCs and Accounting Standards Codification ("Codification" or "ASC") 946, Financial Services—Investment Companies ("ASC 946"), we are precluded from consolidating other entities in which we have equity investments, including those in which we have a controlling interest, unless the other entity is another investment company. An exception to this general principle in ASC 946 occurs if we hold a controlling interest in an operating company that provides all or substantially all of its services directly to us or to any of our portfolio companies. Accordingly, as noted above, our consolidated financial statements include the financial position and operating results for the Funds and the Taxable Subsidiaries. Our consolidated financial statements also include the financial position and operating results for our wholly owned operating subsidiary, Main Street Capital Partners, LLC, ("MSCP"), as the wholly owned subsidiary provides all of its services directly or indirectly to Main Street or our portfolio companies. We have determined that all of our portfolio investments do not qualify for this exception, including the investment in the External Investment Manager. Therefore, our Investment Portfolio is carried on the consolidated balance sheet at fair value with any adjustments to fair value recognized as "Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)" on the consolidated statements of operations until the investment is realized, usually upon exit, resulting in any gain or loss being recognized as a "Net Realized Gain (Loss)."

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        The most significant determination inherent in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements is the valuation of our Investment Portfolio and the related amounts of unrealized appreciation and depreciation. As of both March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, our Investment Portfolio valued at fair value represented approximately 96% of our total assets. We are required to report our investments at fair value. We follow the provisions of FASB ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures ("ASC 820"). ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, establishes a fair value hierarchy based on the quality of inputs used to measure fair value, and enhances disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. ASC 820 requires us to assume that the portfolio investment is to be sold in the principal market to independent market participants, which may be a hypothetical market. Market participants are defined as buyers and sellers in the principal market that are independent, knowledgeable and willing and able to transact. See "Note B.1.—Valuation of the Investment Portfolio" in the notes to consolidated financial statements for a detailed discussion of our investment portfolio valuation process and procedures.

        Due to the inherent uncertainty in the valuation process, our determination of fair value for our Investment Portfolio may differ materially from the values that would have been determined had a ready market for the securities existed. In addition, changes in the market environment, portfolio company performance and other events that may occur over the lives of the investments may cause the gains or losses ultimately realized on these investments to be materially different than the valuations currently assigned. We determine the fair value of each individual investment and record changes in fair value as unrealized appreciation or depreciation.

        Our Board of Directors has the final responsibility for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our determination of the fair value for our Investment Portfolio and our valuation procedures, consistent with 1940 Act requirements. We believe our Investment Portfolio as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 approximates fair value as of those dates based on the markets in which we operate and other conditions in existence on those reporting dates.

        We record interest and dividend income on the accrual basis to the extent amounts are expected to be collected. Dividend income is recorded as dividends are declared by the portfolio company or at the point an obligation exists for the portfolio company to make a distribution. In accordance with our valuation policies, we evaluate accrued interest and dividend income periodically for collectability. When a loan or debt security becomes 90 days or more past due, and if we otherwise do not expect the debtor to be able to service all of its debt or other obligations, we will generally place the loan or debt security on non-accrual status and cease recognizing interest income on that loan or debt security until the borrower has demonstrated the ability and intent to pay contractual amounts due. If a loan or debt security's status significantly improves regarding the debtor's ability to service the debt or other obligations, or if a loan or debt security is fully impaired, sold or written off, we remove it from non-accrual status.

        We may periodically provide services, including structuring and advisory services, to our portfolio companies or other third parties. For services that are separately identifiable and evidence exists to substantiate fair value, fee income is recognized as earned, which is generally when the investment or other applicable transaction closes. Fees received in connection with debt financing transactions for services that do not meet these criteria are treated as debt origination fees and are deferred and accreted into interest income over the life of the financing.

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        We hold certain debt and preferred equity instruments in our Investment Portfolio that contain PIK interest and cumulative dividend provisions. The PIK interest, computed at the contractual rate specified in each debt agreement, is periodically added to the principal balance of the debt and is recorded as interest income. Thus, the actual collection of this interest may be deferred until the time of debt principal repayment. Cumulative dividends are recorded as dividend income, and any dividends in arrears are added to the balance of the preferred equity investment. The actual collection of these dividends in arrears may be deferred until such time as the preferred equity is redeemed or sold. To maintain RIC tax treatment (as discussed below), these non-cash sources of income may need to be paid out to stockholders in the form of distributions, even though we may not have collected the PIK interest and cumulative dividends in cash. We stop accruing PIK interest and cumulative dividends and write off any accrued and uncollected interest and dividends in arrears when we determine that such PIK interest and dividends in arrears are no longer collectible. For the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, (i) approximately 3.1% and 2.2%, respectively, of our total investment income was attributable to PIK interest income not paid currently in cash and (ii) approximately 0.8% and 1.0%, respectively, of our total investment income was attributable to cumulative dividend income not paid currently in cash.

        We account for our share-based compensation plans using the fair value method, as prescribed by ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation. Accordingly, for restricted stock awards, we measure the grant date fair value based upon the market price of our common stock on the date of the grant and amortize the fair value of the awards as share-based compensation expense over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting term.

        MSCC has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a RIC. MSCC's taxable income includes the taxable income generated by MSCC and certain of its subsidiaries, including the Funds, which are treated as disregarded entities for tax purposes. As a RIC, MSCC generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gains that MSCC distributes to its stockholders. MSCC must generally distribute at least 90% of its "investment company taxable income" (which is generally its net ordinary taxable income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its tax exempt income to maintain its RIC status (pass-through tax treatment for amounts distributed). As part of maintaining RIC status, undistributed taxable income (subject to a 4% non-deductible U.S Federal excise tax) pertaining to a given fiscal year may be distributed up to 12 months subsequent to the end of that fiscal year, provided such dividends are declared on or prior to the later of (i) filing of the U.S federal income tax return for the applicable fiscal year or (ii) fifteenth day of the ninth month following the close of the year which generated such taxable income.

        The Taxable Subsidiaries hold certain portfolio investments for us. The Taxable Subsidiaries permit us to hold equity investments in portfolio companies which are "pass-through" entities for tax purposes and to continue to comply with the "source-income" requirements contained in the RIC tax provisions of the Code. The Taxable Subsidiaries are consolidated with us for U.S. GAAP financial reporting purposes, and the portfolio investments held by the Taxable Subsidiaries are included in our consolidated financial statements as portfolio investments and recorded at fair value. The Taxable Subsidiaries are not consolidated with MSCC for income tax purposes and may generate income tax expense, or benefit, and tax assets and liabilities, as a result of their ownership of certain portfolio investments. The taxable income, or loss, of the Taxable Subsidiaries may differ from their book income, or loss, due to temporary book and tax timing differences and permanent differences. This

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income tax expense, or benefit, if any, and the related tax assets and liabilities, are reflected in our consolidated financial statements.

        MSCC's wholly owned subsidiary MSCP is included in our consolidated financial statements for financing reporting purposes. For tax purposes, MSCP has elected to be treated as a taxable entity, and therefore is not consolidated with MSCC for income tax purposes and is taxed at normal corporate tax rates based on its taxable income and, as a result of its activities, may generate income tax expense or benefit. The taxable income, or loss, of MSCP may differ from its book income, or loss, due to temporary book and tax timing differences and permanent differences. This income tax expense, or benefit, if any, and the related tax assets and liabilities, are reflected in our consolidated financial statements.

        The Taxable Subsidiaries and MSCP use the liability method in accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements, using statutory tax rates in effect for the year in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is provided against deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized.

        Taxable income generally differs from net income for financial reporting purposes due to temporary and permanent differences in the recognition of income and expenses. Taxable income generally excludes net unrealized appreciation or depreciation, as investment gains or losses are not included in taxable income until they are realized.

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO COMPOSITION

        Our LMM portfolio investments primarily consist of secured debt, equity warrants and direct equity investments in privately held, LMM companies based in the United States. Our LMM portfolio companies generally have annual revenues between $10 million and $150 million, and our LMM investments generally range in size from $5 million to $50 million. The LMM debt investments are typically secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company, generally bear interest at fixed rates, and generally have a term of between five and seven years from the original investment date. In most LMM portfolio companies, we receive nominally priced equity warrants and/or make direct equity investments in connection with a debt investment.

        Our Middle Market portfolio investments primarily consist of direct investments in or secondary purchases of interest-bearing debt securities in privately held companies based in the United States that are generally larger in size than the companies included in our LMM portfolio. Our Middle Market portfolio companies generally have annual revenues between $150 million and $1.5 billion, and our Middle Market investments generally range in size from $3 million to $15 million. Our Middle Market portfolio debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

        Our Private Loan portfolio investments are primarily debt securities in privately held companies which have been originated through strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis, and are often referred to in the debt markets as "club deals." Private Loan investments are typically similar in size, structure, terms and conditions to investments we hold in our LMM portfolio and Middle Market portfolio. Our Private Loan portfolio debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

        Our Other Portfolio investments primarily consist of investments which are not consistent with the typical profiles for LMM, Middle Market and Private Loan portfolio investments, including investments which may be managed by third parties. In the Other Portfolio, we may incur indirect fees and expenses in connection with investments managed by third parties, such as investments in other investment companies or private funds.

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        Our external asset management business is conducted through the External Investment Manager. The External Investment Manager earns management fees based on the assets of the funds under management and may earn incentive fees, or a carried interest, based on the performance of the funds managed. We have entered into an agreement with the External Investment Manager to share employees in connection with its asset management business generally, and specifically for its relationship with HMS Income. Through this agreement, we share employees with the External Investment Manager, including their related infrastructure, business relationships, management expertise and capital raising capabilities. In the first quarter of 2014, we began allocating costs to the External Investment Manager pursuant to the sharing agreement. Our total expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 are net of expenses allocated to the External Investment Manager of $1.2 million and $0.8 million, respectively. The External Investment Manager earns management fees based on the assets of the funds under management and may earn incentive fees, or a carried interest, based on the performance of the funds managed. The total contribution of the External Investment Manager to our net investment income consists of the combination of the expenses allocated to the External Investment Manager and dividend income from the External Investment Manager. For the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, the total contribution to our net investment income was $1.9 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

        The following tables summarize the composition of our total combined LMM portfolio investments, Middle Market portfolio investments and Private Loan portfolio investments at cost and fair value by type of investment as a percentage of the total combined LMM portfolio investments, Middle Market portfolio investments and Private Loan portfolio investments as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (this information excludes the Other Portfolio investments and the External Investment Manager).

Cost:
  March 31,
2016
  December 31,
2015
 

First lien debt

    75.3%     75.8%  

Equity

    13.4%     13.5%  

Second lien debt

    9.3%     8.7%  

Equity warrants

    0.9%     0.9%  

Other

    1.1%     1.1%  

    100.0%     100.0%  

 

Fair Value:
  March 31,
2016
  December 31,
2015
 

First lien debt

    66.2%     66.1%  

Equity

    24.2%     24.9%  

Second lien debt

    8.3%     7.7%  

Equity warrants

    0.6%     0.6%  

Other

    0.7%     0.7%  

    100.0%     100.0%  

        Our LMM portfolio investments, Middle Market portfolio investments and Private Loan portfolio investments carry a number of risks including: (1) investing in companies which may have limited operating histories and financial resources; (2) holding investments that generally are not publicly traded and which may be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale; and (3) other risks common to investing in below investment grade debt and equity investments in our Investment Portfolio. Please see "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Investments" contained in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 and "Risk Factors" below for a more complete discussion of the risks involved with investing in our Investment Portfolio.

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PORTFOLIO ASSET QUALITY

        We utilize an internally developed investment rating system to rate the performance of each LMM portfolio company and to monitor our expected level of returns on each of our LMM investments in relation to our expectations for the portfolio company. The investment rating system takes into consideration various factors, including each investment's expected level of returns, the collectability of our debt investments and the ability to receive a return of the invested capital in our equity investments, comparisons to competitors and other industry participants, the portfolio company's future outlook and other factors that are deemed to be significant to the portfolio company.

        The following table shows the distribution of our LMM portfolio investments on the 1 to 5 investment rating scale at fair value as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015:

 
  As of March 31, 2016   As of December 31, 2015  
Investment Rating
  Investments at
Fair Value
  Percentage of
Total Portfolio
  Investments at
Fair Value
  Percentage of
Total Portfolio
 
 
   
  (dollars in thousands)
   
 

1

  $ 304,597     35.5%   $ 332,606     38.6%  

2

    231,931     26.9%     143,268     16.6%  

3

    211,116     24.5%     277,160     32.1%  

4

    105,838     12.3%     107,926     12.5%  

5

    7,264     0.8%     1,750     0.2%  

Total

  $ 860,746     100.0%   $ 862,710     100.0%  

        Based upon our investment rating system, the weighted-average rating of our LMM portfolio was approximately 2.2 as of both March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015.

        As of March 31, 2016, our total Investment Portfolio had six investments on non-accrual status, which comprised approximately 0.5% of its fair value and 3.8% of our cost. As of December 31, 2015, our total Investment Portfolio had six investments on non-accrual status, which comprised approximately 0.4% of its fair value and 3.7% of its cost.

        The operating results of our portfolio companies are impacted by changes in the broader fundamentals of the United States economy. In the event that the United States economy contracts, it is likely that the financial results of small-to mid-sized companies, like those in which we invest, could experience deterioration or limited growth from current levels, which could ultimately lead to difficulty in meeting their debt service requirements and an increase in defaults. Consequently, we can provide

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no assurance that the performance of certain portfolio companies will not be negatively impacted by economic cycles or other conditions, which could also have a negative impact on our future results.

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
  Net Change  
 
  2016   2015   Amount   %  
 
  (dollars in thousands)
 

Total investment income

  $ 42,006   $ 37,179   $ 4,827     13%  

Total expenses

    (14,842 )   (13,688 )   (1,154 )   8%  

Net investment income

    27,164     23,491     3,673     16%  

Net realized gain (loss) from investments

    13,603     (2,120 )   15,723        

Net change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) from:

                         

Portfolio investments

    (27,529 )   14,204     (41,733 )      

SBIC debentures and marketable securities and idle funds

    1,311     (442 )   1,753        

Total net change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

    (26,218 )   13,762     (39,980 )      

Income tax benefit (provision)

    2,263     291     1,972        

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

  $ 16,812   $ 35,424   $ (18,612 )   –53%  

 

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
  Net Change  
 
  2016   2015   Amount   %  
 
  (dollars in thousands, except per share
amounts)

 

Net investment income

  $ 27,164   $ 23,491   $ 3,673     16%  

Share-based compensation expense

    1,589     1,263     326     26%  

Distributable net investment income(a)

  $ 28,753   $ 24,754   $ 3,999     16%  

Distributable net investment income per share—Basic and diluted(a)

  $ 0.57   $ 0.54   $ 0.03     6%  

(a)
Distributable net investment income is net investment income as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, excluding the impact of share-based compensation expense which is non-cash in nature. We believe presenting distributable net investment income and related per share amounts is useful and appropriate supplemental disclosure of information for analyzing our financial performance since share-based compensation does not require settlement in cash. However, distributable net investment income is a non-U.S. GAAP measure and should not be considered as a replacement to net investment income and other earnings measures presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Instead, distributable net investment income should be reviewed only in connection with such U.S. GAAP measures in analyzing our financial performance. A reconciliation of net investment income in accordance with U.S. GAAP to distributable net investment income is presented in the table above.

        For the three months ended March 31, 2016, total investment income was $42.0 million, a 13% increase over the $37.2 million of total investment income for the corresponding period of 2015. This

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comparable period increase was principally attributable to (i) a $2.1 million increase in interest income primarily related to higher average levels of portfolio debt investments, (ii) a $2.5 million increase in dividend income from Investment Portfolio equity investments and (iii) a $0.5 million increase in fee income. The $4.8 million increase in total investment income in the three months ended March 31, 2016 includes a consistent amount of investment income from accelerated prepayment and repricing activity for certain Investment Portfolio debt investments when compared to the same period in 2015.

        For the three months ended March 31, 2016, total expenses increased to $14.8 million from $13.7 million for the corresponding period of 2015. This comparable period increase in operating expenses was principally attributable to (i) a $0.4 million increase in interest expense, primarily due to an increase in interest expense on the Credit Facility generally due to the higher average balance outstanding on the Credit facility in three months ended March 31, 2016 when compared to the prior year, (ii) a $0.4 million increase in general and other administrative expenses, (iii) a $0.3 million increase in compensation expense related primarily to increases in the number of personnel and base compensation levels and (iv) a $0.3 million increase in share-based compensation expense, with these increases partially offset by a $0.3 million increase in the expenses allocated to the External Investment Manager (see further discussion in "Overview"), in each case when compared to the prior year. For each of the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, the ratio of our total operating expenses, excluding interest expense, as a percentage of our quarterly average total assets was 1.4% on an annualized basis.

        For the three months ended March 31, 2016, distributable net investment income increased 16% to $28.8 million, or $0.57 per share, compared with $24.8 million, or $0.54 per share, in the corresponding period of 2015. The increase in distributable net investment income was primarily due to the higher level of total investment income, partially offset by higher operating expenses as discussed above. Distributable net investment income on a per share basis for the three months ended March 31, 2016 reflects a greater number of average shares outstanding compared to the corresponding period in 2015 primarily due to the March 2015 equity offering, shares issued through the ATM Program (as defined in "—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Capital Resources" below) and shares issued pursuant to our dividend reinvestment plan.

        Net investment income for the three months ended March 31, 2016 was $27.2 million, or a 16% increase, compared to net investment income of $23.5 million for the corresponding period of 2015. The increase in net investment income was principally attributable to the increase in total investment income, partially offset by higher operating expenses as discussed above.

        The net increase in net assets resulting from operations during the three months ended March 31, 2016 was $16.8 million, or $0.33 per share, compared with $35.4 million, or $0.77 per share, during the three months ended March 31, 2015. This $18.6 million decrease from the prior year period was primarily the result of a $40.0 million decrease in net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) to net unrealized depreciation of $26.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016, partially offset by (i) a $3.7 million increase in net investment income as discussed above, (ii) a $15.7 million increase in the net realized gain (loss) from investments from a net realized loss of $2.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2015 to a net realized gain of $13.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and (iii) a $2.0 million increase in the income tax benefit from the prior year.

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The net realized gain of $13.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 was primarily the result of (i) the net realized gain on the exit of a LMM investment totaling $14.4 million and (ii) the net realized gain of $1.3 million due to activity in our Other Portfolio, partially offset by (i) the net realized loss of $1.6 million on the exit of a Marketable securities and idle funds investment and (ii) the net realized loss of $0.9 million relating to the restructure of a Middle Market investment.

        The following table provides a summary of the total unrealized depreciation of $26.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016:

 
  Three Months Ended March 31, 2016  
 
  LMM(a)   Middle Market   Private Loan   Other(b)   Total  
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Accounting reversals of net unrealized (appreciation) depreciation recognized in prior periods due to net realized gains/losses recognized during period

  $ (14.4 ) $ 2.9   $   $ (1.2 ) $ (12.7 )

Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) relating to portfolio investments

    3.5     (9.3 )   (3.2 )   (5.8 )   (14.8 )

Total net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) relating to portfolio investments

  $ (10.9 ) $ (6.4 ) $ (3.2 ) $ (7.0 ) $ (27.5 )

Net unrealized appreciation relating to marketable securities

                            1.4  

Unrealized depreciation relating to SBIC debentures(c)

                            (0.1 )

Total net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

                          $ (26.2 )

(a)
LMM includes unrealized appreciation on 28 LMM portfolio investments and unrealized depreciation on 21 LMM portfolio investments.

(b)
Other includes $6.3 million of unrealized depreciation relating to the Other Portfolio offset by $0.5 million of unrealized appreciation relating to the External Investment Manager.

(c)
Relates to unrealized depreciation on the SBIC debentures held by MSC II which are accounted for on a fair value basis.

        The income tax benefit for the three months ended March 31, 2016 of $2.3 million principally consisted of (i) a deferred tax benefit of $2.6 million, which is primarily the result of the net activity relating to our portfolio investments held in our Taxable Subsidiaries, including changes in net operating loss carryforwards, changes in net unrealized appreciation/depreciation and other temporary book tax differences, partially offset by other current tax expense of $0.4 million related to accruals for U.S. federal income and excise taxes, state and other taxes.

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  Twelve Months Ended
December 31,
  Net Change  
 
  2015   2014   Amount   %  
 
  (dollars in thousands)
 

Total investment income

  $ 164,589   $ 140,763   $ 23,826     17%  

Total expenses

    (57,515 )   (45,227 )   (12,288 )   27%  

Net investment income

    107,074     95,536     11,538     12%  

Net realized gain (loss) from investments

    (21,316 )   23,206     (44,522 )      

Net change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) from:

                         

Portfolio investments

    11,048     (824 )   11,872        

SBIC debentures and marketable securities and idle funds

    (1,056 )   (10,883 )   9,827        

Total net change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

    9,992     (11,707 )   21,699        

Income tax benefit (provision)

    8,687     (6,287 )   14,974        

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations          

  $ 104,437   $ 100,748   $ 3,689     4%  

 

 
  Twelve Months Ended
December 31,
  Net Change  
 
  2015   2014   Amount   %  
 
  (dollars in thousands, except per share
amounts)

 

Net investment income

  $ 107,074   $ 95,536   $ 11,538     12%  

Share-based compensation expense

    6,262     4,215     2,047     49%  

Distributable net investment income(a)

  $ 113,336   $ 99,751   $ 13,585     14%  

Distributable net investment income per share—Basic and diluted(a)

  $ 2.31   $ 2.29   $ 0.02     1%  

(a)
Distributable net investment income is net investment income as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, excluding the impact of share based compensation expense which is non cash in nature. We believe presenting distributable net investment income and related per share amounts is useful and appropriate supplemental disclosure of information for analyzing our financial performance since share based compensation does not require settlement in cash. However, distributable net investment income is a non U.S. GAAP measure and should not be considered as a replacement to net investment income and other earnings measures presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Instead, distributable net investment income should be reviewed only in connection with such U.S. GAAP measures in analyzing our financial performance. A reconciliation of net investment income in accordance with U.S. GAAP to distributable net investment income is presented in the table above.

        For the year ended December 31, 2015, total investment income was $164.6 million, a 17% increase over the $140.8 million of total investment income for the corresponding period of 2014. This comparable period increase was principally attributable to (i) a $21.0 million net increase in interest income primarily related to higher average levels of portfolio debt investments, (ii) a $0.7 million net increase in fee income and (iii) a $2.0 million net increase in dividend income from Investment Portfolio equity investments. The $23.8 million increase in total investment income in the year ended December 31, 2015 includes a decrease of $1.7 million primarily related to a decrease in interest income due to lower accelerated prepayment and repricing activity for certain Investment Portfolio debt

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investments when compared to the same period in 2014 and a decrease of $1.6 million related to dividend income activity from portfolio companies that is considered to be less consistent on a recurring basis during the period when compared to the same period in 2014.

        For the year ended December 31, 2015, total expenses increased to $57.5 million from $45.2 million for the corresponding period of 2014. This comparable period increase in operating expenses was principally attributable to (i) a $8.5 million increase in interest expense, primarily due to a $7.3 million increase as a result of the issuance of our 4.50% Notes in November 2014 and an increase of $0.8 million related to interest on the Credit Facility due to the higher average balance outstanding in 2015, both when compared to the prior year, and (ii) a $2.5 million increase in compensation expense related to increases in the number of personnel, base compensation levels and incentive compensation accruals, (iii) a $2.0 million increase in share-based compensation expense and (iv) a $1.5 million increase in general and other administrative expenses, with these increases partially offset by a $2.3 million increase in the expenses allocated to the External Investment Manager (see further discussion in "Overview"), in each case when compared to the prior year. For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, the ratio of our total operating expenses, excluding interest expense, as a percentage of our quarterly average total assets was 1.4%.

        For the year ended December 31, 2015, distributable net investment income increased 14% to $113.3 million, or $2.31 per share, compared with $99.8 million, or $2.29 per share, in the corresponding period of 2014. The increase in distributable net investment income was primarily due to the higher level of total investment income, partially offset by higher operating expenses as discussed above. Distributable net investment income on a per share basis for the year ended December 31, 2015 reflects (i) a decrease of approximately $0.05 per share from the comparable period in 2014 attributable to the net decrease in the comparable levels of accelerated prepayment and repricing activity for certain Investment Portfolio debt investments as discussed above, (ii) a decrease of approximately $0.04 per share attributable to the decrease in the dividend income that is considered to be less consistent on a recurring basis as discussed above and (iii) a greater number of average shares outstanding compared to the corresponding period in 2014 primarily due to the April 2014 and March 2015 equity offerings, the shares issued through the ATM Program (as defined in "—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Capital Resources" below) and shares issued pursuant to our dividend reinvestment plan.

        Net investment income for the year ended December 31, 2015 was $107.1 million, or a 12% increase, compared to net investment income of $95.5 million for the corresponding period of 2014. The increase in net investment income was principally attributable to the increase in total investment income, partially offset by higher operating expenses as discussed above.

        The net increase in net assets resulting from operations during the year ended December 31, 2015 was $104.4 million, or $2.13 per share, compared with $100.7 million, or $2.31 per share, during the year ended December 31, 2014. This increase from the prior year period was primarily the result of (i) a $11.5 million increase in net investment income as discussed above and (ii) a $21.7 million increase in net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) to net unrealized appreciation of $10.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 and (iii) a $15.0 million increase due to the change in the income tax benefit (provision) from the prior year period to an income tax benefit of

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$8.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, with these changes partially offset by a $44.5 million decrease due to the change in the net realized gain (loss) from investments from a net realized gain of $23.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2014 to a net realized loss of $21.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015. The net realized loss of $21.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 was primarily the result of (i) the net realized losses relating to the restructure of two Private Loan investments totaling $13.8 million and two Middle Market investments totaling $9.1 million, (ii) the net realized loss on the exit of a Private Loan investment of $4.7 million and (iii) the exits of several Marketable securities and idle funds investments of $1.4 million, partially offset by the net realized gains on the exits of three LMM investments totaling $5.4 million and from an Other Portfolio investment of $2.5 million.

        The following table provides a summary of the total net unrealized appreciation of $10.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015:

 
  Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2015  
 
  LMM(a)   MM   PL   Other(b)   Total  
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Accounting reversals of net unrealized (appreciation) depreciation recognized in prior periods due to net realized gains/losses recognized during period

  $ (5.0 ) $ 6.9   $ 13.1   $ (2.6 ) $ 12.4  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) relating to portfolio investments

    48.4     (38.1 )   (22.8 )   11.2     (1.3 )

Total net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) relating to portfolio investments

  $ 43.4   $ (31.2 ) $ (9.7 ) $ 8.6   $ 11.1  

Net change in unrealized depreciation relating to marketable securities

                            (0.2 )

Unrealized depreciation relating to SBIC debentures(c)

                            (0.9 )

Total net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

                          $ 10.0  

(a)
LMM includes unrealized appreciation on 36 LMM portfolio investments and unrealized depreciation on 21 LMM portfolio investments.

(b)
Other includes $11.7 million of unrealized appreciation relating to the External Investment Manager, offset by $0.5 million of net unrealized depreciation relating to the Other Portfolio.

(c)
Relates to unrealized depreciation on the SBIC debentures held by MSC II which are accounted for on a fair value basis.

        The income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2015 of $8.7 million principally consisted of a deferred tax benefit of $11.7 million, which is primarily the result of the net activity relating to our portfolio investments held in our Taxable Subsidiaries, including changes in net operating loss carryforwards, changes in net unrealized appreciation/depreciation and other temporary book tax differences, partially offset by other current taxes of $3.0 million, which includes $1.8 million related to accruals for U.S. federal income, state and other taxes and $1.2 million for excise taxes.

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  Twelve Months Ended
December 31,
  Net Change  
 
  2014   2013   Amount   %  
 
  (dollars in thousands)
 

Total investment income

  $ 140,763   $ 116,497   $ 24,266     21%  

Total expenses

    (45,227 )   (41,074 )   (4,153 )   10%  

Net investment income

    95,536     75,423     20,113     27%  

Net realized gain (loss) from investments

    23,206     7,277     15,929     219%  

Net realized loss from SBIC debentures

        (4,775 )   4,775        

Net change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) from:

                         

Portfolio investments

    (824 )   16,155     (16,979 )      

SBIC debentures and marketable securities and idle funds

    (10,883 )   2,740     (13,623 )