Great Elm Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:GECC) Short Interest Update

Great Elm Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:GECC) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 453,519 shares, a growth of 25.6% from the February 26th total of 361,208 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 150,765 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Currently, 3.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Great Elm Capital Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GECC. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in shares of Great Elm Capital Group by 247.9% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 106,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $747,000 after buying an additional 75,588 shares in the last quarter. Granby Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Great Elm Capital Group during the fourth quarter worth about $352,000. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Great Elm Capital Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $220,000. TrueMark Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Great Elm Capital Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $148,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Great Elm Capital Group during the third quarter worth approximately $169,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.75% of the company’s stock.

Great Elm Capital Group Stock Up 0.4%

GECC stock traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $5.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,605 shares, compared to its average volume of 91,005. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $6.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $7.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 0.24 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Great Elm Capital Group has a twelve month low of $4.63 and a twelve month high of $11.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.42 million, a P/E ratio of -2.19 and a beta of 0.64.

Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The financial services provider reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of ($39.96) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.16 million. Great Elm Capital Group had a negative net margin of 63.59% and a positive return on equity of 13.19%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Great Elm Capital Group will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

Great Elm Capital Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 23.9%. Great Elm Capital Group’s payout ratio is -52.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.