Muzinich & Co. Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. $CGBD

Key Points

• Muzinich & Co. boosted its stake in Carlyle Secured Lending by 47.3% in Q4 to 736,442 shares (an additional 236,524), representing 1.45% of the company and its 12th-largest holding valued at about $9.20 million.
• Carlyle declared a $0.40 quarterly dividend (ex-dividend Mar 31, payable Apr 16), equal to $1.60 annualized and a 14.6% yield
• The firm missed quarterly EPS estimates ($0.33 vs. $0.38) and slightly missed revenue expectations, and Wall Street’s consensus rating is a Hold with a $13.20 average target amid mixed analyst revisions.

Muzinich & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD - Free Report) by 47.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 736,442 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 236,524 shares during the quarter. Carlyle Secured Lending makes up 2.9% of Muzinich & Co. Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Muzinich & Co. Inc. owned 1.45% of Carlyle Secured Lending worth $9,198,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CGBD. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 199.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 727,570 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,095,000 after buying an additional 484,581 shares in the last quarter. North Ground Capital purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending during the 3rd quarter valued at $5,952,000. Alpine Global Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending during the 3rd quarter valued at $3,133,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 9,270.5% during the 2nd quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 219,176 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,998,000 after buying an additional 216,837 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,289,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.51% of the company's stock.

Carlyle Secured Lending Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of CGBD stock opened at $10.97 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $775.33 million, a P/E ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 0.65. Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.61 and a 52 week high of $15.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $11.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.15.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $66.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $67.26 million. Carlyle Secured Lending had a return on equity of 8.56% and a net margin of 27.38%. Analysts predict that Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.6%. Carlyle Secured Lending's payout ratio is presently 156.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CGBD shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, B. Riley Financial upgraded shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $13.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $13.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John G. Nestor sold 4,401 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.29, for a total transaction of $49,687.29. Following the sale, the director directly owned 5,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,275.64. This represents a 44.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Carlyle Secured Lending Company Profile

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc NASDAQ: CGBD is a closed-end, non-diversified business development company that provides customized debt financing solutions to middle-market companies. Chartered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the company invests primarily in floating-rate senior secured loans, including first-lien, unitranche and one-stop structures. Its objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation through disciplined credit selection and active portfolio management.

The firm focuses on U.S.

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