SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) have received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.40.

Several research firms recently issued reports on SLRC. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of SLR Investment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of SLR Investment from $16.50 to $15.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $16.00 target price on shares of SLR Investment and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Compass Point upgraded shares of SLR Investment from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $16.50 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of SLR Investment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th.

SLR Investment Price Performance

SLRC stock opened at $12.92 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $704.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.88 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. SLR Investment has a 12-month low of $12.82 and a 12-month high of $17.19. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.86.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $47.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.01 million. SLR Investment had a net margin of 41.81% and a return on equity of 8.33%. On average, analysts expect that SLR Investment will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current year.

SLR Investment Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.6%. SLR Investment’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at SLR Investment

In related news, insider Michael S. Gross acquired 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $13.91 per share, for a total transaction of $347,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 4,014,701 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,844,490.91. This trade represents a 0.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have bought a total of 45,452 shares of company stock worth $623,933 in the last quarter. 8.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLR Investment

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of SLR Investment by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 577,728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,932,000 after purchasing an additional 77,705 shares during the period. Muzinich & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of SLR Investment by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 534,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,261,000 after acquiring an additional 145,323 shares in the last quarter. Triad Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of SLR Investment during the fourth quarter worth about $1,930,000. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in shares of SLR Investment during the fourth quarter worth about $632,000. Finally, Epiq Partners LLC increased its position in shares of SLR Investment by 11.6% during the third quarter. Epiq Partners LLC now owns 392,790 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,006,000 after acquiring an additional 40,830 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.32% of the company’s stock.

About SLR Investment

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ: SLRC) is a closed‐end, externally managed business development company that provides customized debt and equity financing solutions to middle‐market companies. The firm seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in senior secured loans, second lien financings, mezzanine debt and equity co‐investments. Its flexible capital approach allows it to structure financing across the capital structure to address a range of sponsor‐backed transactions.

SLR Investment Corp.