Oaktree Specialty Lending Corp. (NASDAQ:OCSL) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corp. (NASDAQ:OCSL) has earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $12.8750.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on OCSL. Weiss Ratings cut Oaktree Specialty Lending from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research lowered Oaktree Specialty Lending from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Oaktree Specialty Lending from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Oaktree Specialty Lending from $13.50 to $10.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Oaktree Specialty Lending from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Stock Performance

Shares of OCSL opened at $11.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $998.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.47 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s fifty day moving average is $11.91 and its 200-day moving average is $12.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Oaktree Specialty Lending has a 12 month low of $10.63 and a 12 month high of $15.85.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $74.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.72 million. Oaktree Specialty Lending had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 9.75%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Oaktree Specialty Lending will post 2.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Oaktree Specialty Lending’s dividend payout ratio is currently 444.44%.

Insider Transactions at Oaktree Specialty Lending

In other news, Director Phyllis R. Caldwell bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $10.77 per share, for a total transaction of $26,925.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 23,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $253,095. This represents a 11.90% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 3,259,370 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $41,524,000 after purchasing an additional 245,207 shares during the last quarter. Bruni J V & Co. Co. lifted its position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Bruni J V & Co. Co. now owns 2,495,710 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,795,000 after purchasing an additional 8,691 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,173,257 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $28,361,000 after purchasing an additional 134,557 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR boosted its stake in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 2,087,981 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,248,000 after purchasing an additional 199,415 shares during the period. Finally, Claret Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp now owns 1,700,738 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $23,232,000 after buying an additional 179,563 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.79% of the company’s stock.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Company Profile

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (NASDAQ: OCSL) is a closed-end, externally managed specialty finance company structured as a business development company (BDC). Launched in 2014, Oaktree Specialty Lending provides customized debt solutions to U.S. middle-market companies, with a focus on senior secured loans, second-lien financings, mezzanine debt and select equity co-investments. The company’s investment strategy centers on floating-rate instruments designed to offer downside protection and income potential in varying interest rate environments.

The firm’s portfolio spans a diverse array of industries, including healthcare, technology, energy, business services and consumer products.