WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHF) Given Average Rating of "Reduce" by Analysts

Key Points

• WhiteHorse Finance has received a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" from five brokerage firms, including one sell rating and four hold ratings, with an average price target of $10.00.
• The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.28 for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.03, and had revenue of $18.84 million, below the expected $19.33 million.
• WhiteHorse Finance announced a quarterly dividend of $0.385, yielding 17.6%, but has a very high dividend payout ratio of 1,026.67%.

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHF - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Reduce" from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.00.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WHF. B. Riley cut their price objective on shares of WhiteHorse Finance from $9.50 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of WhiteHorse Finance to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th.

WhiteHorse Finance Stock Up 0.5%

WHF stock traded up $0.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $8.73. 42,733 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 83,126. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.91 million, a P/E ratio of 58.20 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. WhiteHorse Finance has a 1 year low of $8.36 and a 1 year high of $12.42.

WhiteHorse Finance (NASDAQ:WHF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The investment management company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $18.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.33 million. WhiteHorse Finance had a net margin of 4.36% and a return on equity of 10.72%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that WhiteHorse Finance will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

WhiteHorse Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 17.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. WhiteHorse Finance's payout ratio is currently 1,026.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WhiteHorse Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in WhiteHorse Finance by 26.9% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 45,799 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 9,709 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of WhiteHorse Finance by 172.4% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 129,981 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $1,258,000 after buying an additional 82,263 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of WhiteHorse Finance by 5.0% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,013,374 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $9,779,000 after buying an additional 48,078 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of WhiteHorse Finance during the fourth quarter valued at $241,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC purchased a new stake in shares of WhiteHorse Finance during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 13.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About WhiteHorse Finance

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc is business development company, non-diversified, closed end management company specializing in originating senior secured loans, lower middle market, growth capital industries. It invests in broadline retail, office services and supplies, building products, health care services, health care supplies, research and consulting services, application software, home furnishings, specialized consumer services, data processing and outsourced services, leisure facilities, cable, and satellite.