SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares passed above its 200‑day moving average: SLRC traded as high as $15.75 and last at $15.46 versus a 200‑day MA of $15.10 on volume of about 420,267 shares.
• Analyst views are mixed — several firms cut targets and ratings, but the consensus remains a "Hold" with a consensus price target of $15.29.
• High dividend yield: SLR Investment pays $0.41 quarterly (annualized $1.64) for a 10.6% yield, though the payout ratio is elevated at roughly 96.5%.

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $15.10 and traded as high as $15.75. SLR Investment shares last traded at $15.46, with a volume of 420,267 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on SLRC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on SLR Investment from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on SLR Investment from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on SLR Investment from $16.50 to $15.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded SLR Investment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $16.00 target price on SLR Investment and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $15.29.

SLR Investment Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $843.50 million, a PE ratio of 9.09 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $14.79 and a 200-day moving average of $15.10.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40. The company had revenue of $54.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.97 million. SLR Investment had a return on equity of 8.76% and a net margin of 42.34%. Equities analysts anticipate that SLR Investment Corp. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLR Investment Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. SLR Investment's payout ratio is 96.47%.

Insider Transactions at SLR Investment

In other SLR Investment news, insider Michael S. Gross purchased 10,452 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $13.90 per share, with a total value of $145,282.80. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 4,025,153 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,949,626.70. This represents a 0.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 8.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of SLR Investment

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SLRC. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in SLR Investment by 173.3% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 16,702 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $280,000 after buying an additional 10,591 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of SLR Investment by 11.7% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 40,901 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 4,295 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of SLR Investment during the second quarter worth about $190,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of SLR Investment by 18.0% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 42,469 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 6,464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SLR Investment during the second quarter worth about $782,000. 35.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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