Muzinich & Co. Inc. Increases Holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. $CGBD

Muzinich & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) by 47.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 736,442 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 236,524 shares during the quarter. Carlyle Secured Lending makes up 2.9% of Muzinich & Co. Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Muzinich & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending were worth $9,198,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 901,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,265,000 after buying an additional 121,651 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 199.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 727,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,095,000 after buying an additional 484,581 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 635,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,944,000 after buying an additional 67,938 shares in the last quarter. North Ground Capital purchased a new stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending during the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,952,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 58.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 418,493 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,231,000 after buying an additional 154,355 shares in the last quarter. 24.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Carlyle Secured Lending Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CGBD opened at $10.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $775.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 0.65. Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.61 and a 12 month high of $15.15. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $11.42 and its 200 day moving average is $12.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $66.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.26 million. Carlyle Secured Lending had a net margin of 27.38% and a return on equity of 8.56%. Research analysts predict that Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Carlyle Secured Lending’s dividend payout ratio is currently 156.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CGBD. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, B. Riley Financial upgraded shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Carlyle Secured Lending news, Director John G. Nestor sold 4,401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.29, for a total value of $49,687.29. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,516 shares in the company, valued at $62,275.64. This represents a 44.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Carlyle Secured Lending

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc (NASDAQ: CGBD) is a closed-end, non-diversified business development company that provides customized debt financing solutions to middle-market companies. Chartered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the company invests primarily in floating-rate senior secured loans, including first-lien, unitranche and one-stop structures. Its objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation through disciplined credit selection and active portfolio management.

The firm focuses on U.S.