Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBDC) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBDC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the five research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.3750.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Golub Capital BDC from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Golub Capital BDC in a report on Monday, December 29th. Lucid Cap Mkts upgraded Golub Capital BDC to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Golub Capital BDC from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Golub Capital BDC from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Golub Capital BDC

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Golub Capital BDC by 41.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 131,544 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $1,991,000 after buying an additional 38,534 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Golub Capital BDC by 19.7% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 43,534 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $659,000 after acquiring an additional 7,178 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Golub Capital BDC by 140.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,411 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $415,000 after purchasing an additional 15,988 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC acquired a new stake in Golub Capital BDC in the first quarter worth approximately $6,491,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in Golub Capital BDC by 24.9% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 33,355 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 6,658 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.38% of the company’s stock.

Golub Capital BDC Stock Up 2.0%

GBDC stock opened at $12.87 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.43. Golub Capital BDC has a 1-year low of $12.28 and a 1-year high of $16.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $13.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 2.24.

Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ:GBDC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The investment management company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.38. The business had revenue of $110.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.89 million. Golub Capital BDC had a net margin of 38.57% and a return on equity of 10.37%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.42 EPS. Research analysts predict that Golub Capital BDC will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

Golub Capital BDC Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Golub Capital BDC’s payout ratio is presently 105.60%.

About Golub Capital BDC

Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ: GBDC) is a publicly traded business development company specializing in providing debt and equity financing solutions to middle-market companies in the United States. Externally managed by Golub Capital LLC, the firm focuses on building a diversified portfolio of senior secured loans, unitranche facilities and second-lien debt instruments designed to support growth, acquisitions and recapitalizations. As a closed-end investment vehicle, GBDC offers investors direct exposure to private credit strategies within a regulated structure.

The company’s core business activities center on originating and managing bespoke financing arrangements for U.S.