Fidus Investment Corporation $FDUS Shares Bought by Columbus Macro LLC

Key Points

• Columbus Macro LLC increased its stake in Fidus Investment by 21% to 485,780 shares (~1.33% of the company) valued at $9.38M, and several other institutions also added shares, leaving institutional ownership at about 28.14%.
• Fidus declared a quarterly dividend of $0.43 (ex-dividend March 20, paid March 30), equal to a $1.72 annualized payout and a high yield of about 10.2% with a payout ratio of 73.5%.
• The firm beat EPS expectations ($0.52 vs. $0.48) but missed on revenue, its shares trade around $16.92 versus a consensus price target of $21.25 (average rating: "Moderate Buy"); market cap is ~$642M and trailing P/E is 7.23.

Columbus Macro LLC raised its position in Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS - Free Report) by 21.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 485,780 shares of the asset manager's stock after acquiring an additional 84,320 shares during the period. Columbus Macro LLC owned approximately 1.33% of Fidus Investment worth $9,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Fidus Investment by 22.4% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 439,915 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $8,913,000 after acquiring an additional 80,500 shares during the period. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Fidus Investment by 25.9% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 375,736 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $7,612,000 after purchasing an additional 77,346 shares in the last quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. lifted its position in Fidus Investment by 30.1% in the third quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 247,443 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $5,013,000 after purchasing an additional 57,215 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Fidus Investment by 37.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 209,241 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $4,239,000 after purchasing an additional 56,778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Fidus Investment by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 903,443 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $18,304,000 after purchasing an additional 56,449 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FDUS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Fidus Investment in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Fidus Investment from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.25.

Fidus Investment Stock Performance

FDUS stock opened at $16.92 on Monday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $18.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.47. Fidus Investment Corporation has a 52 week low of $16.70 and a 52 week high of $22.09. The company has a market cap of $642.11 million, a P/E ratio of 7.23 and a beta of 0.72.

Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $32.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.46 million. Fidus Investment had a net margin of 52.87% and a return on equity of 10.71%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Fidus Investment Corporation will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Fidus Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.2%. Fidus Investment's payout ratio is currently 73.50%.

About Fidus Investment

Fidus Investment Corporation NASDAQ: FDUS is a closed-end, externally managed business development company (BDC) that provides specialized financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. Operated by Fidus Investment Advisors, LLC, a registered investment adviser, the company is regulated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

The firm focuses on structuring senior secured and unitranche loans, mezzanine debt and equity investments for established businesses across a range of industries.

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