Muzinich & Co. Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Fidus Investment Corporation $FDUS

Key Points

• Muzinich & Co. increased its stake in Fidus by 40.3% to 347,114 shares (about $6.7M), making it the firm's 17th-largest position; several other institutions also added shares, leaving institutional ownership at 28.14%.
• Fidus trades around $17.82 (52‑week range $16.70–$22.09) with a $676M market cap and P/E of 7.62, pays a quarterly dividend of $0.43 (annualized yield ~9.7%), and reported Q4 EPS of $0.52 (beat) though revenue missed; analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $21.25 target.

Muzinich & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS - Free Report) by 40.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 347,114 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 99,671 shares during the quarter. Fidus Investment makes up about 2.1% of Muzinich & Co. Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Muzinich & Co. Inc. owned 0.95% of Fidus Investment worth $6,699,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FDUS. Columbus Macro LLC increased its holdings in Fidus Investment by 21.0% in the fourth quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 485,780 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $9,376,000 after buying an additional 84,320 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Fidus Investment by 22.4% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 439,915 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $8,913,000 after buying an additional 80,500 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Fidus Investment by 25.9% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 375,736 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $7,612,000 after buying an additional 77,346 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in Fidus Investment by 37.2% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 209,241 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $4,239,000 after buying an additional 56,778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Fidus Investment by 6.7% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 903,443 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $18,304,000 after buying an additional 56,449 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.14% of the company's stock.

Fidus Investment Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ FDUS opened at $17.82 on Wednesday. Fidus Investment Corporation has a 52-week low of $16.70 and a 52-week high of $22.09. The business's 50-day moving average price is $18.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.29. The firm has a market cap of $676.27 million, a P/E ratio of 7.62 and a beta of 0.69.

Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.04. Fidus Investment had a return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 52.87%.The firm had revenue of $32.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.46 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Fidus Investment Corporation will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Fidus Investment Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 20th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.7%. Fidus Investment's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Fidus Investment Company Profile

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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