Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $23.50 and traded as high as $23.56. Saratoga Investment shares last traded at $23.4830, with a volume of 152,732 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SAR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saratoga Investment in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Saratoga Investment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Saratoga Investment presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $23.63.

Saratoga Investment Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $379.95 million, a PE ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $23.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.50.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $23.41 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.35 million. Saratoga Investment had a net margin of 30.61% and a return on equity of 9.19%. On average, research analysts expect that Saratoga Investment Corp will post 3.93 EPS for the current year.

Saratoga Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.8%. Saratoga Investment’s payout ratio is currently 122.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saratoga Investment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in Saratoga Investment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Saratoga Investment in the third quarter valued at about $45,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Saratoga Investment during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in Saratoga Investment in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. 19.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Saratoga Investment

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.