Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) Shares Pass Below 50 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Great Elm Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:GECC) crossed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $6.52 and traded as low as $4.63. Great Elm Capital Group shares last traded at $4.74, with a volume of 599,979 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GECC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Great Elm Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Clear Str cut shares of Great Elm Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Great Elm Capital Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $10.50.

Great Elm Capital Group Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $69.44 million, a P/E ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The financial services provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.01). Great Elm Capital Group had a negative net margin of 63.59% and a positive return on equity of 13.19%. The business had revenue of ($39.96) million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.16 million. On average, analysts expect that Great Elm Capital Group, Inc. will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Great Elm Capital Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 24.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Great Elm Capital Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -52.17%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Elm Capital Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GECC. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Great Elm Capital Group by 95.5% during the third quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 24,474 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 11,956 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in shares of Great Elm Capital Group in the third quarter worth about $306,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Great Elm Capital Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $160,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new position in Great Elm Capital Group in the 3rd quarter worth $169,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC purchased a new stake in Great Elm Capital Group in the third quarter worth about $145,000. Institutional investors own 38.75% of the company’s stock.

Great Elm Capital Group Company Profile

Great Elm Capital Group, Inc (NASDAQ: GECC) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company (BDC) that seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing in private, middle-market companies. The firm targets senior secured loans, subordinated debt and equity securities of U.S. companies, with a focus on businesses offering stable cash flows and potential for growth. Industry sectors of interest include business services, consumer products, industrials and healthcare, among others.

GECC’s investment strategy emphasizes portfolio diversification and active management.