SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) Stock Gets Downgrade from Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded SLR Investment from “hold” to “sell,” adding to recent cautious analyst actions. Despite this, the overall analyst consensus remains “hold,” with a $14.10 average price target.
• SLRC shares opened at $11.38, near their 52-week low of $11.23 and below both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.33, in line with estimates, but revenue of $20.5 million fell well short of the $48.82 million forecast.
• Insider Michael Gross purchased 20,000 shares worth approximately $247,000, while insiders own 9.10% of the company and institutional investors hold 35.32%.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

SLRC has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings cut SLR Investment from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on SLR Investment from $13.50 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Zacks Research raised shares of SLR Investment from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, B. Riley Financial cut shares of SLR Investment from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.10.

SLR Investment Price Performance

Shares of SLRC opened at $11.38 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $620.89 million, a P/E ratio of 8.43 and a beta of 0.69. SLR Investment has a 1 year low of $11.23 and a 1 year high of $16.36. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $12.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The financial services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33. The company had revenue of $20.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $48.82 million. SLR Investment had a return on equity of 7.96% and a net margin of 35.20%. On average, equities analysts predict that SLR Investment will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Michael Gross purchased 20,000 shares of SLR Investment stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $12.35 per share, with a total value of $247,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,065,153 shares in the company, valued at $50,204,639.55. The trade was a 0.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 9.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of SLR Investment

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SLRC. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of SLR Investment in the second quarter worth $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new position in SLR Investment during the first quarter worth $69,000. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in SLR Investment in the second quarter valued at $93,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in SLR Investment by 211.1% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 6,325 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 4,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. bought a new position in SLR Investment in the first quarter valued at $143,000. 35.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SLR Investment Company Profile

SLR Investment Corp. NASDAQ: SLRC is a closed-end business development company that provides financing to middle-market companies. The company primarily invests in privately held businesses through senior secured loans, including first-lien and unitranche loans, and may also make subordinated debt and equity investments.

SLR Investment focuses on companies with established operations across a range of industries. Its investment strategy is designed to provide businesses with capital for acquisitions, recapitalizations, growth initiatives, refinancings and other general corporate purposes.

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