Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) Releases Earnings Results, Hits Expectations

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The financial services provider reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53, FiscalAI reports. Saratoga Investment had a return on equity of 9.19% and a net margin of 30.61%.The firm had revenue of $6.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.85 million.

Saratoga Investment Price Performance

SAR traded down $0.55 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $23.34. 108,279 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 106,421. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $22.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.25 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The company has a market capitalization of $378.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.57 and a beta of 0.55. Saratoga Investment has a 1 year low of $20.78 and a 1 year high of $25.64.

Saratoga Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. Saratoga Investment’s payout ratio is presently 122.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saratoga Investment in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $23.63.

Institutional Trading of Saratoga Investment

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in Saratoga Investment during the third quarter worth $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Saratoga Investment during the third quarter worth $36,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in Saratoga Investment during the third quarter worth $45,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Saratoga Investment during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Saratoga Investment by 610.1% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,212 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $120,000 after acquiring an additional 4,478 shares during the last quarter. 19.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Saratoga Investment Company Profile

Saratoga Investment Corp. is a closed-end, externally managed investment company that seeks to generate current income and total return through a diversified portfolio of private U.S. companies. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SAR, the firm primarily targets middle-market businesses across a broad range of industries, including industrials, healthcare, consumer products, financial services and technology. Its investment approach combines debt and equity instruments, providing flexible capital solutions such as first-lien and second-lien secured loans, mezzanine debt, preferred equity and common equity positions.

As an actively managed vehicle, Saratoga Investment works closely with portfolio companies’ management teams to support growth initiatives, operational improvements, and strategic transactions.