NOTE 1 — NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Nature of Operations

Stellus Capital Investment Corporation (“we”, “us”, “our” and the “Company”) was formed as a Maryland corporation on May 18, 2012 (“Inception”) and is an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified investment management company. The Company is applying the guidance of Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946, Financial Services Investment Companies (“ASC Topic 946”). The Company has elected to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and has elected to be treated, qualifies, and intends to qualify annually to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Company’s investment activities are managed by its investment adviser, Stellus Capital Management, LLC (“Stellus Capital” or the “Advisor”).

As of March 31, 2026, the Company had issued a total of 28,947,254 shares and raised $419,105,333 in gross proceeds since Inception, incurring an aggregate of $13,093,525 in offering expenses and sales load fees. Additionally, the Company has received $672,917 in offering expenses reimbursements from the Advisor for net proceeds from offerings of $406,684,725. The Company’s shares are currently listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SCM”. See Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements contained herein for further details.

The Company has established the following wholly owned subsidiaries: SCIC — Consolidated Blocker, Inc., SCIC — Invincible Blocker 1, Inc., SCIC — SKP Blocker 1, Inc., SCIC — APE Blocker 1, Inc., SCIC — Venbrook Blocker, Inc., SCIC — CC Blocker 1, Inc., SCIC — ERC Blocker 1, Inc., and SCIC — Hollander Blocker 1, Inc., which are structured as Delaware entities, to hold equity or equity-like investments in portfolio companies organized as limited liability companies, or LLCs (or other forms of pass-through entities) (collectively, the “Taxable Subsidiaries”). The Taxable Subsidiaries are consolidated for U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) reporting purposes, and the portfolio investments held by them are included in the consolidated financial statements.

On June 14, 2013, the Company formed Stellus Capital SBIC, LP (the “SBIC I subsidiary”), a Delaware limited partnership, and its general partner, Stellus Capital SBIC GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company. On June 20, 2014, the SBIC I subsidiary received a license from the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) to operate as a small business investment company (“SBIC”) under Section 301(c) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended (the “SBIC Act”). The SBIC I subsidiary and its general partner are consolidated for U.S. GAAP reporting purposes, and the portfolio investments held by the SBIC I subsidiary are included in the consolidated financial statements.

On November 29, 2018, the Company formed Stellus Capital SBIC II, LP (the “SBIC II subsidiary”), a Delaware limited partnership. On August 14, 2019, the SBIC II subsidiary received a license from the SBA to operate as an SBIC under Section 301(c) of the SBIC Act. The SBIC II subsidiary and its general partner, Stellus Capital SBIC GP, LLC, are consolidated for U.S. GAAP reporting purposes, and the portfolio investments held by the SBIC II subsidiary are included in the consolidated financial statements.

The SBIC licenses allow the SBIC I subsidiary and the SBIC II subsidiary (together, the “SBIC subsidiaries”) to obtain leverage by issuing SBA-guaranteed debentures, subject to the issuance of a capital commitment by the SBA and other customary procedures. SBA-guaranteed debentures are non-recourse, interest only debentures with interest payable semi-annually and have a ten-year maturity. The principal amount of SBA-guaranteed debentures is not required to be paid prior to maturity but may be prepaid at any time without penalty. The interest rate of SBA-guaranteed debentures is fixed on a semi-annual basis at a market-driven spread over U.S. Treasury Notes with 10-year maturities. The SBA, as a creditor, will have a superior claim to the SBIC subsidiaries’ assets over the Company’s stockholders in the event the Company liquidates one or both of the SBIC subsidiaries or the SBA exercises its remedies under the SBA-guaranteed debentures issued by the SBIC subsidiaries upon an event of default. For the SBIC I subsidiary, SBA regulations limit the amount that the SBIC I subsidiary may borrow to a maximum of $150,000,000 when it has at least $75,000,000 in regulatory capital, as such term is defined by the SBA. For the SBIC II subsidiary, SBA regulations limit the amounts that the SBIC II subsidiary may borrow to

$175,000,000 when it has at least $87,500,000 in regulatory capital, as such term is defined by the SBA. For two or more SBICs under common control, the maximum aggregate amount of outstanding SBA-guaranteed debentures cannot exceed $350,000,000.

As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, the SBIC I subsidiary had $73,625,000 and $75,000,000 in regulatory capital, respectively.

As of both March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, the SBIC II subsidiary had $87,500,000 in regulatory capital.

As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, the SBIC I subsidiary had $85,000,000 and $124,000,000 of SBA-guaranteed debentures outstanding, respectively. As of both March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, the SBIC II subsidiary had $175,000,000 of SBA-guaranteed debentures outstanding.

See footnotes (4) and (5) of the Consolidated Schedule of Investments for additional information regarding the treatment of investments in the SBIC subsidiaries with respect to the Credit Facility (as defined in Note 9).

Under the provisions of the 1940 Act, the Company is permitted, as a BDC that has satisfied certain requirements, to issue senior securities in amounts such that its asset coverage ratio, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 150% of its gross assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, after each issuance of senior securities. As of March 31, 2026, the Company’s asset coverage ratio was 199%.

The Company’s investment objective is to maximize the total return to its stockholders in the form of current income and capital appreciation through debt and related equity investments in lower middle-market companies. The Company seeks to achieve its investment objective by originating and investing primarily in private U.S. lower middle-market companies (typically those with $5.0 million to $50.0 million of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization)) through first lien, second lien, unitranche and unsecured debt financings, often with corresponding equity co-investments. The Company sources investments primarily through the extensive network of relationships that the principals of Stellus Capital have developed with financial sponsor firms, financial institutions, lower middle-market companies, management teams and other professional intermediaries.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the 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 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Accordingly, certain disclosures accompanying the annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP are omitted. The unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries.

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 the financial statements for the interim periods included herein. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2026 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results to be expected for the full year. Also, the unaudited consolidated financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2025.

In accordance with Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act, the Company does not consolidate portfolio company investments. The accounting records of the Company are maintained in U.S. dollars.

Economic Developments

Economic activity has continued to accelerate across sectors and regions. Nonetheless, the Company has observed and continues to observe macroeconomic uncertainty as a result of various events and trends, including labor resource shortages, commodity inflation, fluctuating interest rates, economic sanctions in response to international conflicts and instances of geopolitical, economic and financial market instability in the United States and abroad, including as a result of the imposition of tariffs on the United States or its trading partners, and the global conflict in the Middle East, including Iran. One or more of these factors may contribute to increased market volatility and may have long- and short-term effects in the United States and worldwide financial markets.

Portfolio Investment Classification

The Company classifies its portfolio investments in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act as follows: (a) “Control Investments” are defined as investments in which the Company owns more than 25% of the voting securities or has rights to maintain greater than 50% of the board representation, (b) “Affiliate Investments” are defined as investments in which the Company owns between 5% and 25% of the voting securities and does not have rights to maintain greater than 50% of the board representation, and (c) “Non-controlled, non-affiliate investments” are defined as investments that are neither Control Investments nor Affiliate Investments.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash consists of bank demand deposits. The Company deems certain money market mutual funds, U.S. Treasury Bills, and other high-quality, short-term debt securities as cash equivalents.

As of March 31, 2026, cash balances totaling $52,985, including foreign currency of $33,089 (acquisition cost of $33,089), did not exceed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") insurance protection levels of $250,000. In addition, as of March 31, 2026, the Company held $3,323,540 in cash equivalents in money market mutual funds, which are carried at net asset value, which is considered a Level 1 valuation technique. All of the Company’s cash deposits are held at large established high credit quality financial institutions, and management believes that risk of loss associated with any uninsured balances is remote.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company accounts for all of its financial instruments at fair value in accordance with ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC Topic 820”). ASC Topic 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework used to measure fair value, and requires disclosures for fair value measurements, including the categorization of financial instruments into a three-level hierarchy based on the transparency of valuation inputs. ASC Topic 820 requires disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments for which it is practical to estimate such value. The Company believes that the carrying amounts of its financial instruments related to receivables and payables approximate the fair value of these items due to the short maturity of these instruments, which are considered Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

The Credit Facility, SBA-guaranteed debentures, and Notes Payable (as defined in Note 11) are carried at amortized cost in the Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities. As of March 31, 2026, the estimated fair value of the Credit Facility approximates the carrying value because the interest rates adjust to the current market interest rate (Level 3 classification). Valuation techniques and significant inputs used to determine fair value include company details; credit, market and liquidity risk and events; financial health of the company; place in the capital structure; interest rate; and terms and conditions of the Credit Facility. The estimated fair value of the SBA-guaranteed debentures and Notes Payable was determined by discounting projected remaining payments using market interest rates for borrowings of the Company and entities with similar credit risks at the measurement date. Notes Payable for which readily available market quotations do not exist are valued using prices provided by independent pricing services, which may incorporate matrix pricing and/or independent broker quotations. At the measurement date, the estimated fair values of the SBA-guaranteed debentures and Notes Payable as prepared for disclosure purposes was $232,838,812 (Level 3 classification) and $124,875,000 (Level 2 classification),

respectively. See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained herein for further discussion regarding the fair value measurements and hierarchy.

Consolidation

As permitted under Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act and ASC Topic 946, the Company generally does not consolidate its investments in a portfolio company other than an investment company subsidiary. Accordingly, the Company consolidated the results of the SBIC subsidiaries and the Taxable Subsidiaries. All intercompany balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. Changes in the economic environment, financial markets and any other parameters used in determining these estimates could cause actual results to differ materially. Additionally, as explained in Note 1, the Consolidated Financial Statements include investments in the portfolio whose values have been determined in good faith by the Board, pursuant to procedures approved by the Board, in the absence of readily available market quotations. Because of the inherent uncertainty of the investment portfolio valuations, those estimated values may differ materially from the values that would have been determined had a ready market for the securities existed.

Deferred Financing Costs

Deferred financing costs, prepaid loan fees on SBA-guaranteed debentures and prepaid loan structure fees consist of fees and expenses paid in connection with the closing of the Credit Facility, Notes Payable and SBA-guaranteed debentures, and are capitalized at the time of payment. These costs are amortized using the straight-line method over the term of the respective instrument and are presented as an offset to the corresponding debt on the Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities.

Offering Costs

Deferred offering costs consist of fees and expenses incurred in connection with the offer and sale of the Company’s common stock, including legal, accounting, printing fees and other related expenses, as well as costs incurred in connection with the filing of a shelf registration statement and related prospectuses. These costs are capitalized when incurred and recognized as a reduction of offering proceeds when the offering is consummated and shown on the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Assets as a reduction to Paid-in capital. As of March 31, 2026, there was $75,000 of such costs, which are included in “Deferred offering costs” on the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

Investments

Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 2a-5”) establishes requirements for determining the fair value of a BDC’s investments in good faith for purposes of the 1940 Act. Rule 2a-5 permits boards of directors of BDCs to designate certain parties to perform fair value determinations, subject to oversight of the board of directors and compliance with certain conditions. Rule 2a-5 also defines when market quotations are “readily available” for purposes of the 1940 Act and the threshold for determining whether a board of directors must determine the fair value of a security. Rule 31a-4 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 31a-4”), establishes additional recordkeeping requirements related to fair value determinations. While the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) has not elected to designate the Advisor as

the valuation designee, the Company has adopted certain revisions to its valuation policies and procedures in order to comply with the applicable requirements of Rule 2a-5 and Rule 31a-4.

As a BDC, the Company will generally invest in illiquid loans and securities, including debt and equity securities of private lower middle-market companies. Section 2(a)(41) of the 1940 Act requires that a BDC value its assets as follows: (i) the third-party price for securities for which a market quotation is readily available; and (ii) for all other securities and assets, fair value, as determined in good faith under procedures adopted by a BDC's board or valuation designee, as applicable. Under procedures established by the Board, the Company values investments for which market quotations are readily available at such market quotations. The Company obtains these market quotations from an independent pricing service or at the midpoint of the bid and ask prices obtained from at least two brokers or dealers (if available; otherwise, by a principal market maker or a primary market dealer). Debt and equity securities that are not publicly traded or whose market quotations are not readily available will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board. Such determination of fair value may involve subjective judgments and estimates. The Company also engages independent valuation providers to review the valuation of each portfolio investment that does not have a readily available market quotation at least twice annually.

Debt and equity investments purchased within approximately 90 days of the valuation date will be valued at cost plus accreted discount, or minus amortized premium, which approximates fair value. With respect to unquoted securities, the Board values each investment considering, among other measures, discounted cash flow models, comparisons of financial ratios of peer companies that are public and other factors. When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale occurs, the Board uses the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate and/or assist in determining the valuation. Because the Company expects that there will not be a readily available market quotation for many of the investments in its portfolio, the Company expects to value most of its portfolio investments at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board using a documented valuation policy and a consistently applied valuation process. Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of investments that do not have a readily available market quotation, the fair value of the Company’s investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a readily available market value existed for such investments, and the differences could be material.

In following these approaches, the types of factors that will be taken into account in fair value pricing investments include, as relevant, but are not limited to:

Revenue Recognition

The Company records interest income on an accrual basis to the extent such interest is deemed collectible. Payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest represents contractual interest accrued and added to the loan balance that generally becomes due at maturity. The Company will not accrue any form of interest on loans and debt securities if it has reason to doubt its ability to collect such interest. Loan origination fees, original issue discount and market discounts or premiums are capitalized, and the Company then accretes or amortizes such amounts using the effective interest method as interest income. Upon the prepayment of a loan or debt security, any unamortized loan origination fee is recorded as interest income. The Company records prepayment premiums on loans and debt securities as other income. Dividend income, if any, will be recognized on the ex-dividend date.

A presentation of the interest income the Company has earned from its portfolio companies for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 is as follows:

​

To maintain the Company’s treatment as a RIC, substantially all of this income must be paid to stockholders in the form of distributions, even if the Company has not collected any cash.

Management considers portfolio company-specific circumstances as well as other economic factors in determining the collectability of interest income. As of March 31, 2026, the Company had loans to six portfolio companies that were on non-accrual status, which represented approximately 9.2% of the Company’s total investments at cost and 5.2% at fair value. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had loans to five portfolio companies that were on non-accrual status, which represented approximately 7.5% of the Company’s total investments at cost and 4.1% at fair value. As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, $13,208,429 and $11,182,515, respectively, of income from investments on non-accrual had not been accrued. 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 sold or written off, the Company will remove it from non-accrual status.

Net Realized Gains or Losses and Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation or Depreciation

Realized gains or losses are measured by the difference between the net proceeds from the repayment, sale or disposition and the amortized cost basis of the investment, without regard to unrealized appreciation or depreciation previously recognized. Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation reflects the change in portfolio investment values during the reporting period, including any reversal of previously recorded unrealized appreciation or depreciation, when gains or losses are realized.

Foreign currency amounts are translated into U.S. Dollars (USD) on the following basis:

Investment Transaction Costs

Costs that are material and associated with an investment transaction, including legal expenses, are included in the cost basis of purchases and deducted from the proceeds of sales unless such costs are reimbursed by the borrower.

Receivables and Payables for Unsettled Securities Transactions

The Company records all investments on a trade date basis.

U.S. Federal Income Taxes

The Company has elected and intends to qualify annually to be treated as a RIC under subchapter M of the Code. To qualify as a RIC, among other things, the Company generally is required to timely distribute to its stockholders at least 90% of its investment company taxable income, as defined by the Code, for each year. So long as the Company maintains its status as a RIC, it generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any ordinary income or capital gains that it distributes at least annually to its stockholders as dividends. Rather, any tax liability related to income earned by the Company represents obligations of the Company’s investors and will not be reflected in the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company.

​

The Company generally is subject to a nondeductible 4% U.S. federal excise tax if it does not distribute to its stockholders in a timely manner in each taxable year, an amount at least equal to the sum of (i) 98% of its ordinary income for such calendar year, (ii) 98.2% the amount by which the Company’s capital gain exceeds its capital loss (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending October 31 in that calendar year, and (iii) certain undistributed amounts from previous years on which the Company paid no U.S. federal income tax. The Company, at its discretion, may choose not to distribute all its taxable income for the calendar year and pay a non-deductible 4% excise tax on this income. If the Company chooses to do so, all other things being equal, this would increase expenses and reduce the amount of cash available to be distributed to stockholders. To the extent that the Company determines that its estimated current year annual taxable income will be in excess of estimated current year dividend distributions from such taxable income, the Company accrues excise taxes on estimated excess taxable income as taxable income is earned.

​

Current income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2026 of $360,471 was mostly related to excise and franchise taxes. Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2025 of $499,547 was mostly related to excise and franchise taxes.

​

The Company evaluates tax positions taken or expected to be taken while preparing its tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax positions deemed to meet a “more-likely-than-not” threshold would be recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the applicable period. As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, the Company had not recorded a liability for any unrecognized tax positions. Management’s evaluation of uncertain tax positions may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based upon factors including, but not limited to, an ongoing analysis of tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof. The Company’s policy is to include interest and penalties related to income taxes, if applicable, in general and administrative expenses. Any expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 were de minimis.

The Taxable Subsidiaries are direct wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company that have elected to be treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and as a result, the income of the Taxable Subsidiaries is subject to U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates. The Taxable Subsidiaries permit the Company to hold equity investments in portfolio companies that are “pass through” entities for tax

purposes and continue to comply with the “source-of-income” requirements contained in RIC tax provisions of the Code. The Taxable Subsidiaries are not consolidated with the Company for income tax purposes and may generate income tax expense, benefit, and the related tax assets and liabilities, as a result of their ownership of certain portfolio investments. The income tax expense, or benefit, if any, and related tax assets and liabilities of the Taxable Subsidiaries are reflected in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Taxable Subsidiaries 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.

For both the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, the Company did not record deferred income tax benefit or provision related to the Taxable Subsidiaries. In addition, as of both March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, the Company had a net deferred tax liability of $0.

Earnings per Share

Basic per share calculations are computed utilizing the weighted average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding for the period. The Company has no common stock equivalents. As a result, there is no difference between diluted earnings per share and basic per share amounts.

Paid In Capital

The Company records the proceeds from the sale of shares of its common stock on a net basis to (i) capital stock and (ii) paid in capital in excess of par value, excluding all commissions and marketing support fees.

Distributable (Loss) Earnings

The components that make up distributable (loss) earnings on the Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities as of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025 were as follows:

​

​

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update 2023-09 (“ASU 2023-09”), Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. ASU 2023-09 enhances income tax disclosures, including

disclosure of income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. ASU 2023-09 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company’s adoption of ASU 2023-09 did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income—Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (“ASU 2024-03”), which requires disaggregated disclosure of certain costs and expenses, including purchases of inventory, employee compensation, depreciation, amortization and depletion, within relevant income statement captions. ASU 2024-03 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim periods beginning with the first quarter ended March 31, 2028. Early adoption and retrospective application is permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact of the new guidance.

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the FASB or other standards setting bodies that are adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. The Company believes the impact of the recently issued standards and any that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements upon adoption.