Bruce Bilger Purchases 45,490 Shares of Stellus Capital Investment (NYSE:SCM) Stock

Stellus Capital Investment Corporation (NYSE:SCM) Director Bruce Bilger purchased 45,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.74 per share, with a total value of $397,582.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 228,055 shares in the company, valued at $1,993,200.70. The trade was a 24.92% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Stellus Capital Investment Price Performance

SCM stock traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $9.13. 327,640 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 259,030. Stellus Capital Investment Corporation has a 52 week low of $8.43 and a 52 week high of $15.39. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $11.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.14 and a quick ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $264.29 million, a PE ratio of 9.71 and a beta of 0.68.

Stellus Capital Investment (NYSE:SCM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The investment management company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.02). Stellus Capital Investment had a net margin of 26.48% and a return on equity of 10.28%. The firm had revenue of $23.98 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.33 million. As a group, analysts expect that Stellus Capital Investment Corporation will post 1.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stellus Capital Investment Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.1133 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Stellus Capital Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 144.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stellus Capital Investment

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Stellus Capital Investment during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stellus Capital Investment in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Stellus Capital Investment in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in shares of Stellus Capital Investment in the 2nd quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stellus Capital Investment during the fourth quarter worth $62,000. 13.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Stellus Capital Investment in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Stellus Capital Investment from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $9.00.

Stellus Capital Investment Company Profile

Stellus Capital Investment Corporation (NYSE: SCM) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company that provides debt and equity financing to middle market companies in the United States. As an investment vehicle specializing in private credit, Stellus focuses on originating and structuring senior secured loans, unitranche facilities, mezzanine debt, and equity co-investments tailored to the unique needs of growing businesses. Its flexible capital solutions are designed to support acquisitions, recapitalizations, growth initiatives, and balance sheet refinancings.

Operating under an evergreen structure, Stellus Capital Investment partners with a diverse group of portfolio companies across industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, business services, and specialty finance.