Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) Stock Rating Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Saratoga Investment from “sell” to “hold,” aligning with five other analysts; the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.67.
• Saratoga Investment reported quarterly EPS of $0.46, missing the $0.49 consensus estimate, while revenue of $31.17 million also fell slightly short of expectations.
• The stock opened at $14.96, well below its 52-week high of $24.07. Institutional investors own approximately 19.09% of the company.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Saratoga Investment in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Compass Point reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of Saratoga Investment in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded Saratoga Investment from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 7th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Saratoga Investment from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, B. Riley Financial decreased their target price on Saratoga Investment from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $19.67.

Saratoga Investment Stock Down 0.0%

Saratoga Investment stock opened at $14.96 on Friday. Saratoga Investment has a fifty-two week low of $13.78 and a fifty-two week high of $24.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a current ratio of 0.13. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $17.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.34. The stock has a market cap of $232.86 million, a PE ratio of -59.86 and a beta of 0.57.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.03). Saratoga Investment had a negative net margin of 3.35% and a positive return on equity of 8.66%. The firm had revenue of $31.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.46 million. Research analysts predict that Saratoga Investment will post 1.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saratoga Investment

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in Saratoga Investment by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 22,301 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Saratoga Investment by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 17,950 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management grew its holdings in Saratoga Investment by 66.2% during the 2nd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 2,950 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 1,175 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in Saratoga Investment by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 165,139 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,612,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Saratoga Investment during the first quarter valued at about $70,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.09% of the company's stock.

Saratoga Investment Company Profile

Saratoga Investment Corporation NYSE: SAR is a business development company that provides financing to lower middle-market companies in the United States. The company seeks to support businesses that may have limited access to traditional bank financing, working with private equity sponsors, management teams and other financial partners.

Through its investment portfolio, Saratoga Investment typically provides senior secured and subordinated debt, including first-lien, unitranche and second-lien loans, as well as mezzanine financing and equity investments.

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