Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) Short Interest Down 25.0% in August

Key Points

• Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. experienced a significant drop in short interest of 25.0% in August, with total short interest decreasing to 435,400 shares from 580,900 shares in July.
• CFO Thomas M. Hennigan increased his stake in the company by purchasing 7,285 shares at an average cost of $13.75 per share, while Director John G. Nestor sold 13,238 shares at an average price of $13.49, marking a significant decrease in his ownership.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, with an annual yield of 11.6%, despite having a dividend payout ratio of 133.33%.

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 435,400 shares, adropof25.0% from the July 31st total of 580,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 435,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days. Based on an average trading volume of 435,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Carlyle Secured Lending

In other Carlyle Secured Lending news, CFO Thomas M. Hennigan purchased 7,285 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.75 per share, with a total value of $100,168.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 88,495 shares in the company, valued at $1,216,806.25. This trade represents a 8.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John G. Nestor sold 13,238 shares of Carlyle Secured Lending stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.49, for a total value of $178,580.62. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,859.57. This trade represents a 47.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carlyle Secured Lending

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the first quarter valued at $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 71.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,630 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 1,011.6% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,313 shares of the company's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 3,925 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the second quarter worth about $97,000. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the second quarter worth about $145,000. 24.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Carlyle Secured Lending Stock Performance

Shares of Carlyle Secured Lending stock opened at $13.79 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.86 and a 200-day moving average of $14.64. Carlyle Secured Lending has a 1-year low of $13.12 and a 1-year high of $18.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $702.74 million, a PE ratio of 11.49 and a beta of 0.88.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39. The company had revenue of $67.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.53 million. Carlyle Secured Lending had a net margin of 29.71% and a return on equity of 9.85%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Carlyle Secured Lending will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. Carlyle Secured Lending's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on CGBD shares. B. Riley restated a "neutral" rating and set a $14.50 price target (up previously from $14.00) on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $13.00 to $15.00 in a report on Friday, July 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $15.10.

Carlyle Secured Lending Company Profile

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc is business development company specializing in first lien debt, senior secured loans, second lien senior secured loan unsecured debt, mezzanine debt and investments in equities. It specializes in directly investing. It specializes in middle market. It targets healthcare and pharmaceutical, aerospace and defense, high tech industries, business services, software, beverage food and tobacco, hotel gamming and leisure, banking finance insurance and in real estate sector.

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