Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 314,900 shares, a growth of 44.0% from the March 31st total of 218,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 347,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Approximately 0.5% of the company's shares are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Clare Stack Richer acquired 1,530 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.43 per share, for a total transaction of $25,137.90. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 20,835 shares in the company, valued at $342,319.05. This trade represents a 7.93 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.59% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCSF. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 136.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 24,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 13,892 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 14.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 287,890 shares of the company's stock worth $4,779,000 after buying an additional 36,585 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 47.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 224,528 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,727,000 after acquiring an additional 71,806 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC boosted its stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 105,271 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,844,000 after acquiring an additional 2,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooper Financial Group grew its holdings in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 15,064 shares of the company's stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 1,053 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCSF has been the subject of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance from $19.00 to $16.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Stock Up 2.4 %

Bain Capital Specialty Finance stock traded up $0.36 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $15.37. 341,633 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 244,331. The company has a market cap of $997.04 million, a PE ratio of 7.72 and a beta of 0.79. Bain Capital Specialty Finance has a fifty-two week low of $13.20 and a fifty-two week high of $19.21. The company's fifty day moving average price is $16.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $73.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $67.50 million. Bain Capital Specialty Finance had a net margin of 43.62% and a return on equity of 11.90%. On average, research analysts predict that Bain Capital Specialty Finance will post 2.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Bain Capital Specialty Finance's dividend payout ratio is presently 90.81%.

About Bain Capital Specialty Finance

Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc is business development company specializing in direct loans to middle-market companies. The fund seeks to invest in senior investments with a first or second lien on collateral, senior first lien, stretch senior, senior second lien, unitranche, mezzanine debt, junior securities, other junior investments, and secondary purchases of assets or portfolios that primarily consist of middle-market corporate debt.