Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Boosts Position in Stellus Capital Investment Corporation (NYSE:SCM)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in Stellus Capital Investment Corporation (NYSE:SCM - Free Report) by 33.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 84,762 shares of the investment management company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,355 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.31% of Stellus Capital Investment worth $1,187,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Stellus Capital Investment by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 15,440 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 3,352 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stellus Capital Investment during the 4th quarter worth about $244,000. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stellus Capital Investment during the 4th quarter worth about $251,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Stellus Capital Investment by 30.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,973 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 5,314 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Stellus Capital Investment during the 4th quarter worth about $345,000. 13.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stellus Capital Investment Trading Down 0.3%

Stellus Capital Investment stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $14.40. 29,121 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 155,920. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.82. Stellus Capital Investment Corporation has a 12-month low of $11.19 and a 12-month high of $15.56. The firm has a market cap of $409.11 million, a PE ratio of 9.99 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Stellus Capital Investment (NYSE:SCM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The investment management company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37. The company had revenue of $24.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $26.76 million. Stellus Capital Investment had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 36.35%. Research analysts expect that Stellus Capital Investment Corporation will post 1.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stellus Capital Investment Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.1333 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 11.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. Stellus Capital Investment's payout ratio is presently 111.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on SCM. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Stellus Capital Investment from $13.50 to $13.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Stellus Capital Investment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th.

Stellus Capital Investment Profile

Stellus Capital Investment Corporation is a business development company specializing in investments in private middle-market companies. It invests through first lien, second lien, unitranche, and mezzanine debt financing, often with a corresponding equity investment. The fund prefers to invest in US and Canada.