Oaktree Specialty Lending Corp. (NASDAQ:OCSL) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending Corp. (NASDAQ:OCSL - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.83.

Several brokerages have weighed in on OCSL. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Oaktree Specialty Lending from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. B. Riley began coverage on Oaktree Specialty Lending in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $14.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Oaktree Specialty Lending from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Oaktree Specialty Lending from $16.50 to $15.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Oaktree Specialty Lending from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Armen Panossian bought 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.13 per share, with a total value of $113,040.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 20,789 shares of the company's stock, valued at $293,748.57. This trade represents a 62.55% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Craig A. Jacobson bought 14,910 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $13.41 per share, with a total value of $199,943.10. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 71,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $961,054.47. This trade represents a 26.27% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 3.0% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 29,419 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 848 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 259.0% in the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,691 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,220 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Oaktree Specialty Lending in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 18,651 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 1,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 27,234 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,983 shares during the last quarter. 36.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Stock Performance

Shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending stock opened at $13.71 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $14.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.01. Oaktree Specialty Lending has a 12 month low of $12.50 and a 12 month high of $19.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 105.46 and a beta of 0.70.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.06). Oaktree Specialty Lending had a net margin of 2.55% and a return on equity of 11.77%. The company had revenue of $70.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $84.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.56 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Oaktree Specialty Lending will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Oaktree Specialty Lending's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 1,230.77%.

About Oaktree Specialty Lending

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation is a business development company. The fund specializing in investments in middle market, bridge financing, first and second lien debt financing, unsecured and mezzanine loan, mezzanine debt, senior and junior secured debt, expansions, sponsor-led acquisitions, preferred equity, and management buyouts in small and mid-sized companies.

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