Gladstone Investment (NASDAQ:GAIN) Cut to "Sell" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Gladstone Investment (NASDAQ: GAIN) from “Hold” to “Sell.” However, the broader analyst consensus remains “Buy,” with one Strong Buy and three Buy ratings and an average price target of $16.75.
• GAIN shares opened at $15.66, compared with a 52-week range of $13.11 to $17.14. The stock has a market capitalization of approximately $623.6 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.75.
• Gladstone Investment exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting earnings per share of $0.26 versus the $0.22 consensus estimate and revenue of $28.36 million versus $25.75 million expected. Institutional investors own approximately 11.85% of the company.

Gladstone Investment (NASDAQ:GAIN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report issued on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Gladstone Investment from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Gladstone Investment from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Gladstone Investment has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $16.75.

Gladstone Investment Stock Performance

Shares of GAIN opened at $15.66 on Friday. Gladstone Investment has a 52 week low of $13.11 and a 52 week high of $17.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.21 and a 200-day moving average of $15.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $623.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.76.

Gladstone Investment (NASDAQ:GAIN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The investment management company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.04. Gladstone Investment had a return on equity of 5.90% and a net margin of 158.95%.The company had revenue of $28.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.75 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Gladstone Investment will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gladstone Investment

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GAIN. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Gladstone Investment by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 31,653 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Gladstone Investment in the second quarter worth approximately $123,000. Greenwood Gearhart LLC bought a new position in shares of Gladstone Investment in the first quarter worth approximately $254,000. Independent Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Gladstone Investment in the first quarter valued at approximately $355,000. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Gladstone Investment in the second quarter valued at approximately $572,000. 11.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Gladstone Investment

Gladstone Investment Corporation NASDAQ: GAIN is an externally managed business development company that invests in established lower-middle-market businesses in the United States. The company seeks to provide capital to privately held companies that may have limited access to traditional financing.

Gladstone Investment primarily invests through secured and unsecured debt, subordinated debt and equity securities. Its investment activities support transactions such as management buyouts, recapitalizations, acquisitions and growth initiatives.

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