SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded SLR Investment from “sell” to “hold,” joining a consensus “hold” rating from analysts with an average price target of $14.10.
• SLRC shares opened at $11.63, down 1.4%, with a market capitalization of approximately $634.5 million and a 52-week range of $10.96 to $16.36.
• The company met quarterly earnings expectations with EPS of $0.33, while insider Michael Gross purchased 20,000 shares; institutional investors own 35.32% of the stock.

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

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded SLR Investment from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of SLR Investment in a research report on Monday. Finally, B. Riley Financial downgraded shares of SLR Investment from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, SLR Investment has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $14.10.

SLR Investment Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of SLR Investment stock opened at $11.63 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $634.53 million, a P/E ratio of 8.61 and a beta of 0.69. SLR Investment has a 52-week low of $10.96 and a 52-week high of $16.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $11.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.42.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The financial services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.33. SLR Investment had a net margin of 35.20% and a return on equity of 7.96%. The firm had revenue of $20.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.82 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that SLR Investment will post 1.31 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Michael Gross purchased 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $12.35 per share, for a total transaction of $247,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,065,153 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,204,639.55. This trade represents a 0.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 9.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLR Investment

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SLR Investment by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,708,772 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $58,248,000 after acquiring an additional 75,341 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 7,441.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,629,154 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $18,735,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607,550 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of SLR Investment by 24.8% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,104,114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $13,658,000 after purchasing an additional 219,110 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of SLR Investment during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,516,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in SLR Investment by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 378,888 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,422,000 after purchasing an additional 1,619 shares during the period. 35.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About SLR Investment

SLR Investment Corp. NASDAQ: SLRC is a business development company that provides financing to middle-market companies, primarily in the United States. The company seeks to support businesses that may have limited access to traditional bank financing by investing in a range of debt and equity securities.

Its investment activities generally focus on senior secured loans, subordinated debt, mezzanine investments and equity interests. SLR Investment typically partners with private equity sponsors and company management teams, providing capital for acquisitions, recapitalizations, refinancing, growth initiatives and other corporate purposes.

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