Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL) from "strong sell" to "hold," but overall analyst sentiment remains weak — MarketBeat shows an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $12.17 after multiple downgrades and lower price targets.
• Oaktree beat EPS estimates for the quarter ($0.41 vs. $0.38) while revenue missed ($74.48M vs. $75.72M); the stock trades around $11.79 with a market cap of about $1.04 billion and a 12‑month range of $10.63–$14.90.
• Insider buying: director Phyllis R. Caldwell purchased 2,500 shares at roughly $10.77 on March 16, raising her stake to 23,500 shares, and institutional investors own about 36.8% of the company.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending from $13.50 to $10.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of 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. Lucid Cap Mkts raised shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $12.17.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ OCSL opened at $11.79 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.75 and a beta of 0.49. Oaktree Specialty Lending has a 1 year low of $10.63 and a 1 year high of $14.90. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.66.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $74.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.72 million. Oaktree Specialty Lending had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 9.75%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Oaktree Specialty Lending will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oaktree Specialty Lending

In related news, Director Phyllis R. Caldwell purchased 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $10.77 per share, with a total value of $26,925.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 23,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $253,095. The trade was a 11.90% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oaktree Specialty Lending

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Garner Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in Oaktree Specialty Lending during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Oaktree Specialty Lending during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in Oaktree Specialty Lending during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Oaktree Specialty Lending during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 1,025.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,163 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 3,793 shares during the period. 36.79% of the stock is 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.

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.