13,235 Shares in Saratoga Investment Corp. (NYSE:SAR) Purchased by Mariner LLC

Mariner LLC purchased a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment Corp. (NYSE:SAR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 13,235 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $317,000. Mariner LLC owned about 0.09% of Saratoga Investment as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SAR. Trexquant Investment LP boosted its holdings in Saratoga Investment by 133.0% during the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 64,017 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,531,000 after purchasing an additional 36,544 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment during the 4th quarter worth about $814,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment during the 4th quarter worth about $285,000. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment in the 4th quarter valued at about $266,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Saratoga Investment in the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. 19.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on SAR. Compass Point reduced their price target on Saratoga Investment from $26.25 to $25.25 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Saratoga Investment from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $25.08.

Saratoga Investment Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SAR traded up $0.76 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $23.48. 163,817 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 87,974. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $336.84 million, a PE ratio of 9.47 and a beta of 0.65. Saratoga Investment Corp. has a 12 month low of $21.10 and a 12 month high of $26.49. The company's 50 day moving average price is $23.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.44.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.21). Saratoga Investment had a net margin of 22.01% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The company had revenue of $31.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.86 million. As a group, analysts predict that Saratoga Investment Corp. will post 3.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Saratoga Investment Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a dividend yield of 12.31%. Saratoga Investment's payout ratio is 147.06%.

Saratoga Investment Profile

Saratoga Investment Corp. is a business development company specializing in leveraged and management buyouts, acquisition financings, growth financings, recapitalization, debt refinancing, and transitional financing transactions at the lower end of middle market companies. It structures its investments as debt and equity by investing through first and second lien loans, mezzanine debt, co-investments, select high yield bonds, senior secured bonds, unsecured bonds, and preferred and common equity.