Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL) Lowered to "Strong Sell" Rating by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Oaktree Specialty Lending has been downgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating, indicating a significant shift in analyst sentiment regarding the company's performance.
• In its latest quarterly earnings report, Oaktree Specialty Lending reported an EPS of $0.37, missing analysts' expectations by $0.08, with revenue also falling short of estimates at $75.27 million.
• Institutional investors have recently varied their stakes in Oaktree Specialty Lending, with notable actions including a new stake from Oppenheimer and a 49.4% increase by LPL Financial during the first quarter.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Trading Up 0.1%

OCSL opened at $13.06 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.21. Oaktree Specialty Lending has a twelve month low of $12.50 and a twelve month high of $16.66. The firm's fifty day moving average is $13.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.11. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a PE ratio of 23.32 and a beta of 0.67.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.08). Oaktree Specialty Lending had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.84%.The company had revenue of $75.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.14 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Oaktree Specialty Lending will post 2.06 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oaktree Specialty Lending

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in OCSL. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending in the 1st quarter valued at $381,000. LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 49.4% during the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 159,341 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,447,000 after acquiring an additional 52,681 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 14,910 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 2,124 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 20.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 27,176 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $417,000 after acquiring an additional 4,589 shares during the period. Finally, Arlington Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Oaktree Specialty Lending during the second quarter worth $941,000. 36.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Company Profile

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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