SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give SLR Investment Corp. a consensus "Hold" from eight firms (2 sell, 2 hold, 3 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $15.29.
• The firm pays a quarterly dividend of $0.41 (annualized $1.64) for a yield of about 10.4%, with a high payout ratio near 96.5%.
• Insider Michael S. Gross purchased 25,000 shares at $13.91 and now holds 4,014,701 shares; insiders own 8.8% of the stock, while the company has a market cap of about $863M and reported $0.40 EPS for the most recent quarter.

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the eight research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $15.2857.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on SLRC shares. Compass Point upgraded SLR Investment from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $16.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on SLR Investment from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Raymond James Financial set a $16.00 price objective on SLR Investment and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on SLR Investment from $16.50 to $15.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded SLR Investment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday.

Insider Activity

In other SLR Investment news, insider Michael S. Gross acquired 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $13.91 per share, for a total transaction of $347,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 4,014,701 shares of the company's stock, valued at $55,844,490.91. This trade represents a 0.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 8.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLR Investment

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in SLR Investment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in SLR Investment by 1,389.8% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,640 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in SLR Investment by 215.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,367 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,617 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in SLR Investment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in SLR Investment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. 35.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SLR Investment Price Performance

SLR Investment stock opened at $15.82 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $863.14 million, a P/E ratio of 9.31 and a beta of 0.69. SLR Investment has a 1 year low of $13.78 and a 1 year high of $17.19. The business has a 50-day moving average of $14.67 and a 200-day moving average of $15.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.40. The company had revenue of $54.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.97 million. SLR Investment had a return on equity of 8.76% and a net margin of 42.34%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that SLR Investment will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

SLR Investment Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.4%. SLR Investment's payout ratio is currently 96.47%.

About SLR Investment

SLR Investment Corp. NASDAQ: SLRC is a closed‐end, externally managed business development company that provides customized debt and equity financing solutions to middle‐market companies. The firm seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in senior secured loans, second lien financings, mezzanine debt and equity co‐investments. Its flexible capital approach allows it to structure financing across the capital structure to address a range of sponsor‐backed transactions.

SLR Investment Corp.

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