Insider Buying: WhiteHorse Finance (NASDAQ:WHF) Director Acquires 8,276 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider buying: Director John Bolduc purchased 8,276 shares on March 6 at $7.25, increasing his stake to 272,032 shares (~$1.97M) after several recent buys, a 3.14% rise that signals notable insider accumulation.
• Generous but risky dividend: The company declared a $0.25 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.00) with a stated yield of 13.5%, while the payout ratio is an elevated 161.29%, raising sustainability concerns.
• Mixed fundamentals and outlook: WhiteHorse beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates (EPS $0.29 vs. $0.27; revenue $17.34M vs. $16.91M), trades near $7.42, but carries an average analyst rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $7.75.

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHF - Get Free Report) Director John Bolduc purchased 8,276 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $7.25 per share, with a total value of $60,001.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 272,032 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,972,232. This trade represents a 3.14% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

John Bolduc also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, March 5th, John Bolduc bought 8,392 shares of WhiteHorse Finance stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $7.12 per share, with a total value of $59,751.04.
• On Tuesday, December 23rd, John Bolduc bought 14,200 shares of WhiteHorse Finance stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $7.00 per share, with a total value of $99,400.00.
• On Wednesday, December 24th, John Bolduc purchased 8,974 shares of WhiteHorse Finance stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of $6.99 per share, for a total transaction of $62,728.26.

WhiteHorse Finance Price Performance

NASDAQ:WHF remained flat at $7.42 during midday trading on Monday. The company had a trading volume of 175,551 shares, compared to its average volume of 124,228. The stock has a market capitalization of $172.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.97 and a beta of 0.56. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $6.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $6.07 and a twelve month high of $10.48.

WhiteHorse Finance (NASDAQ:WHF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The investment management company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.02. WhiteHorse Finance had a return on equity of 9.54% and a net margin of 19.73%.The company had revenue of $17.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.91 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WhiteHorse Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. WhiteHorse Finance's payout ratio is presently 161.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of WhiteHorse Finance in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded WhiteHorse Finance from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $7.75.

Institutional Trading of WhiteHorse Finance

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WHF. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in WhiteHorse Finance during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of WhiteHorse Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. HUB Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of WhiteHorse Finance during the 3rd quarter valued at $75,000. Norden Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of WhiteHorse Finance in the 4th quarter worth $76,000. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WhiteHorse Finance in the fourth quarter valued at $88,000. 13.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WhiteHorse Finance Company Profile

WhiteHorse Finance Corporation NASDAQ: WHF is a closed-end management investment company organized as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The firm's primary objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation by making debt and equity investments in privately held middle-market companies. WhiteHorse Finance seeks to partner with established businesses across a range of industries, providing flexible financing solutions designed to support growth initiatives, acquisitions and recapitalizations.

The company's investment portfolio predominantly comprises senior secured loans, second-lien debt, subordinated debt and select equity interests.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.