Short Interest in Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBDC) Grows By 57.4%

Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBDC) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 9,673,229 shares, an increase of 57.4% from the January 29th total of 6,146,412 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,429,836 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days. Approximately 3.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 3.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,429,836 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Golub Capital BDC Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ GBDC opened at $12.28 on Tuesday. Golub Capital BDC has a 12-month low of $11.77 and a 12-month high of $15.63. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.76. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a market cap of $3.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.82 and a beta of 0.45.

Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ:GBDC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The investment management company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38. Golub Capital BDC had a net margin of 38.57% and a return on equity of 10.37%. The company had revenue of $110.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.89 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.42 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Golub Capital BDC will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Golub Capital BDC Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.7%. Golub Capital BDC’s dividend payout ratio is currently 124.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Golub Capital BDC

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GBDC. Alpine Global Management LLC boosted its holdings in Golub Capital BDC by 487.1% in the fourth quarter. Alpine Global Management LLC now owns 155,588 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $2,111,000 after acquiring an additional 129,088 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Golub Capital BDC by 39.0% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 249,360 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $3,384,000 after purchasing an additional 70,011 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Golub Capital BDC by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC now owns 127,055 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,724,000 after purchasing an additional 3,895 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Golub Capital BDC in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,412,000. Finally, Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Golub Capital BDC during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,760,000. Institutional investors own 42.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on GBDC shares. Wall Street Zen cut Golub Capital BDC from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Golub Capital BDC in a report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Golub Capital BDC from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Golub Capital BDC from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Golub Capital BDC in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $14.38.

About Golub Capital BDC

Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ: GBDC) is a publicly traded business development company specializing in providing debt and equity financing solutions to middle-market companies in the United States. Externally managed by Golub Capital LLC, the firm focuses on building a diversified portfolio of senior secured loans, unitranche facilities and second-lien debt instruments designed to support growth, acquisitions and recapitalizations. As a closed-end investment vehicle, GBDC offers investors direct exposure to private credit strategies within a regulated structure.

The company’s core business activities center on originating and managing bespoke financing arrangements for U.S.