Great Elm Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:GECC) Short Interest Up 81.4% in September

Key Points

• Great Elm Capital Group experienced a significant increase in short interest, rising by 81.4% in September to 88,500 shares from 48,800 shares in August.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, leading to an annualized dividend yield of 16.7%.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Buy" for GECC, with a price target of $11.00 despite recent downgrades from some analysts.

Great Elm Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:GECC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 88,500 shares, an increase of 81.4% from the August 31st total of 48,800 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 77,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.1 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 77,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.1 days. Approximately 1.2% of the company's shares are sold short.

Great Elm Capital Group Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ GECC opened at $8.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $11.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.64. Great Elm Capital Group has a 52-week low of $8.63 and a 52-week high of $11.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $102.28 million, a P/E ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.98.

Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $14.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.25 million. Great Elm Capital Group had a return on equity of 12.49% and a net margin of 36.81%. On average, analysts anticipate that Great Elm Capital Group will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Great Elm Capital Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 16.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. Great Elm Capital Group's dividend payout ratio is 94.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GECC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Great Elm Capital Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Great Elm Capital Group in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $11.00 price objective on Great Elm Capital Group in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $11.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Great Elm Capital Group stock. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new stake in Great Elm Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:GECC - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 3,874 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $41,000. 38.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Great Elm Capital Group

Great Elm Capital Corp. is a business development company which specializes in loan and mezzanine, middle market investments. It invests in the debt instruments of middle market companies. The fund prefers to invest in media, commercial services and supplies, healthcare, telecommunication services, communications equipment.

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