Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (NYSE:BXSL) Stock Breaks Above 200 Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (NYSE:BXSL - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $24.11 and traded as high as $24.24. Blackstone Secured Lending Fund shares last traded at $24.1270, with a volume of 2,782,678 shares changing hands.

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone Secured Lending Fund this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings were $0.68 per share, above estimates of $0.66–$0.67. Management said results were supported by BXSL’s mostly first-lien, floating-rate portfolio and generally growing borrower earnings. Third-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: BXSL reported a 10.7% annualized yield on net asset value. Its ongoing refinancing of approximately $3.2 billion in notes is also a factor investors may monitor. Dividend reset and refinancing
• Negative Sentiment: The fund set its Q1 2027 dividend at $0.60 per share, down 22.1% from $0.77. That reduces the annualized payout to $2.40, weighing on the stock’s appeal to income investors. Dividend reduction analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, EPS fell from $0.82 a year earlier, while revenue of $315.18 million came in slightly below analyst expectations. Q3 earnings report

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BXSL. Citigroup started coverage on Blackstone Secured Lending Fund in a research report on Monday, October 26th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Blackstone Secured Lending Fund from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Blackstone Secured Lending Fund in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on Blackstone Secured Lending Fund from $24.50 to $25.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Blackstone Secured Lending Fund from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $24.89.

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $5.62 billion, a PE ratio of 20.11 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $24.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.11.

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (NYSE:BXSL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $315.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $317.81 million. Blackstone Secured Lending Fund had a net margin of 21.03% and a return on equity of 11.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Blackstone Secured Lending Fund will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.9%. This is a decrease from Blackstone Secured Lending Fund's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 31st. Blackstone Secured Lending Fund's payout ratio is 256.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blackstone Secured Lending Fund

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BXSL. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 141,828 shares of the company's stock worth $3,360,000 after buying an additional 2,786 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund by 166.6% in the first quarter. Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. now owns 29,970 shares of the company's stock worth $710,000 after acquiring an additional 18,730 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Blackstone Secured Lending Fund by 68.7% during the first quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 29,676 shares of the company's stock valued at $703,000 after acquiring an additional 12,083 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC increased its position in Blackstone Secured Lending Fund by 12.6% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 128,684 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,049,000 after acquiring an additional 14,403 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Blackstone Secured Lending Fund by 12.7% in the first quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 65,580 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,570,000 after acquiring an additional 7,380 shares during the period. 36.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Blackstone Secured Lending Fund

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund NYSE: BXSL is a business development company that invests in privately owned middle-market companies. The fund seeks to generate current income and long-term capital appreciation primarily through investments in senior secured, floating-rate loans.

BXSL's portfolio may also include second-lien loans, unsecured debt and equity investments. Its investments are generally made in companies across a range of industries, with an emphasis on businesses that have established operations and cash flows.

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