Ethos Financial Group LLC Acquires Shares of 134,384 Fidus Investment Corporation $FDUS

Key Points

• Ethos Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Fidus Investment Corporation, buying 134,384 shares valued at approximately $2.74 million, representing about 0.39% ownership of the company.
• Fidus Investment announced a dividend increase to $0.57 per share, payable on September 25th, reflecting a significant boost from the previous $0.11 dividend.
• Analyst ratings have fluctuated, with B. Riley downgrading Fidus from "buy" to "neutral," while LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded the stock to a "strong-buy."

Ethos Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 134,384 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $2,740,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC owned about 0.39% of Fidus Investment as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FDUS. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Fidus Investment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $20,539,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Fidus Investment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,072,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fidus Investment in the first quarter worth approximately $1,045,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 300,799 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $6,323,000 after acquiring an additional 50,447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Fidus Investment by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 303,421 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $6,378,000 after purchasing an additional 48,034 shares in the last quarter. 28.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fidus Investment Price Performance

Shares of FDUS traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $21.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 97,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 199,186. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $20.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $755.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.24 and a beta of 0.95. Fidus Investment Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $16.70 and a fifty-two week high of $23.55.

Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The asset manager reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.04. Fidus Investment had a net margin of 51.88% and a return on equity of 11.52%. The company had revenue of $39.97 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $37.42 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Fidus Investment Corporation will post 2.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fidus Investment Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is a boost from Fidus Investment's previous -- dividend of $0.11. This represents a yield of 800.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 18th. Fidus Investment's payout ratio is currently 74.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Fidus Investment from $20.00 to $21.50 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. B. Riley lowered Fidus Investment from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $22.00 to $22.50 in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Fidus Investment to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $22.00.

Fidus Investment Profile

Fidus Investment Corporation is a business development company. It specializing in leveraged buyouts, refinancings, change of ownership transactions, recapitalizations, strategic acquisitions, mezzanine, growth capital, business expansion, lower middle market investments, debt investments, subordinated and second lien loans, senior secured and unitranche debt, preferred equity, warrants, subordinated debt, senior subordinated notes, junior secured loans, and unitranche loans.