Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Oaktree Specialty Lending (OCSL) from "sell" to "hold"; however, MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average analyst target price of $12.17 amid mixed recent analyst actions.
• Shares opened at $11.97 with a market cap of $1.05 billion, a P/E of 33.25 and a 52-week range of $10.63–$14.90; the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.41 (beating estimates) while revenue of $74.48M slightly missed expectations.
• Insider activity: director Phyllis R. Caldwell bought 2,500 shares at $10.77, insiders own 0.29% of the company, and institutional investors hold roughly 36.8% of the stock.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Saturday.

OCSL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Zacks Research upgraded Oaktree Specialty Lending from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Oaktree Specialty Lending from $13.50 to $10.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Oaktree Specialty Lending from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Lucid Cap Mkts upgraded Oaktree Specialty Lending to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Oaktree Specialty Lending from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oaktree Specialty Lending has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $12.17.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ OCSL opened at $11.97 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.25 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Oaktree Specialty Lending has a 1-year low of $10.63 and a 1-year high of $14.90. The stock's 50-day moving average is $11.62 and its 200 day moving average is $12.64.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $74.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $75.72 million. Oaktree Specialty Lending had a return on equity of 9.75% and a net margin of 10.58%.During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oaktree Specialty Lending will post 2.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oaktree Specialty Lending

In other Oaktree Specialty Lending news, Director Phyllis R. Caldwell purchased 2,500 shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $10.77 per share, for a total transaction of $26,925.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 23,500 shares in the company, valued at $253,095. This represents a 11.90% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oaktree Specialty Lending

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of OCSL. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 15,171 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Running Point Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Running Point Capital Advisors LLC now owns 28,789 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 11,578 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd now owns 7,400 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 11,940 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. 36.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Company Profile

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation NASDAQ: OCSL is a closed-end, externally managed specialty finance company structured as a business development company (BDC). Launched in 2014, Oaktree Specialty Lending provides customized debt solutions to U.S. middle-market companies, with a focus on senior secured loans, second-lien financings, mezzanine debt and select equity co-investments. The company’s investment strategy centers on floating-rate instruments designed to offer downside protection and income potential in varying interest rate environments.

The firm’s portfolio spans a diverse array of industries, including healthcare, technology, energy, business services and consumer products.

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