SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) Sees Large Volume Increase – What’s Next?

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) shares saw strong trading volume on Thursday . 778,428 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 126% from the previous session’s volume of 345,057 shares.The stock last traded at $13.4980 and had previously closed at $13.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of SLR Investment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Raymond James Financial set a $16.00 target price on shares of SLR Investment and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of SLR Investment from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of SLR Investment from $14.00 to $13.50 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Compass Point upgraded shares of SLR Investment from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $16.50 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SLR Investment currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.07.

SLR Investment Stock Down 1.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $736.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.23 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $14.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.14.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.07). SLR Investment had a net margin of 41.81% and a return on equity of 8.33%. The business had revenue of $47.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.01 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that SLR Investment Corp. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLR Investment Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.2%. SLR Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michael S. Gross bought 10,452 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $13.90 per share, with a total value of $145,282.80. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 4,025,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,949,626.70. This represents a 0.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 8.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLR Investment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of SLR Investment in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 1,389.8% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,640 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 215.6% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,367 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 1,617 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in shares of SLR Investment in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of SLR Investment in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. 35.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

SLR Investment Company Profile

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ: SLRC) is a closed‐end, externally managed business development company that provides customized debt and equity financing solutions to middle‐market companies. The firm seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in senior secured loans, second lien financings, mezzanine debt and equity co‐investments. Its flexible capital approach allows it to structure financing across the capital structure to address a range of sponsor‐backed transactions.

SLR Investment Corp.