Ethos Financial Group LLC Takes $2.78 Million Position in Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. $CGBD

Key Points

• Ethos Financial Group LLC has invested approximately $2.78 million in Carlyle Secured Lending, acquiring 171,871 shares and holding 0.34% of the company's stocks as of their latest SEC filing.
• Several institutional investors, including Lido Advisors LLC and Sunbelt Securities Inc., have also increased their holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending, indicating growing interest from the investment community.
• Carlyle Secured Lending recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 11.8% with a payout ratio of 133.33%.

Ethos Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 171,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,781,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC owned 0.34% of Carlyle Secured Lending as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 2.4% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 184,149 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,980,000 after purchasing an additional 4,385 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Carlyle Secured Lending in the first quarter valued at about $307,000. Condor Capital Management lifted its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 3.2% in the first quarter. Condor Capital Management now owns 275,409 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,456,000 after purchasing an additional 8,573 shares during the period. MGB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Carlyle Secured Lending in the first quarter valued at about $291,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd lifted its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 13.4% in the first quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 21,019 shares of the company's stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 2,478 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.51% of the company's stock.

Carlyle Secured Lending Price Performance

CGBD traded up $0.2760 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $14.0060. 219,650 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 356,831. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $713.70 million, a PE ratio of 11.68 and a beta of 0.88. The business's 50-day moving average price is $13.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.99. Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. has a 1-year low of $13.12 and a 1-year high of $18.64.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39. The company had revenue of $67.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 analysts anticipate that Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. Carlyle Secured Lending's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on CGBD shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $13.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Friday, July 25th. B. Riley restated a "neutral" rating and set a $14.50 target price (up from $14.00) on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a research report on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $17.00 to $14.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $15.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Thomas M. Hennigan acquired 7,285 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $13.75 per share, with a total value of $100,168.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 88,495 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,216,806.25. This represents a 8.97% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John G. Nestor sold 13,238 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.49, for a total transaction of $178,580.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 14,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $196,859.57. This represents a 47.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Carlyle Secured Lending 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.