Analysts Set SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) PT at $15.50

Shares of SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $15.50.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on SLRC shares. Raymond James Financial set a $16.00 price target on SLR Investment and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on SLR Investment from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of SLR Investment in a report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on SLR Investment from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Compass Point upgraded SLR Investment from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $16.50 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th.

Insider Transactions at SLR Investment

In other news, insider Michael S. Gross acquired 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $13.91 per share, for a total transaction of $347,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 4,014,701 shares in the company, valued at $55,844,490.91. This trade represents a 0.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 8.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLR Investment

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SLRC. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in SLR Investment by 61.0% during the 2nd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 175,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,826,000 after buying an additional 66,342 shares during the period. Muzinich & Co. Inc. grew its stake in SLR Investment by 45.4% in the third quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 389,013 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,948,000 after acquiring an additional 121,432 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC acquired a new position in SLR Investment in the second quarter valued at about $405,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of SLR Investment in the second quarter worth about $326,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of SLR Investment by 1,413.2% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 354,701 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,725,000 after acquiring an additional 331,260 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.32% of the company’s stock.

SLR Investment Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:SLRC opened at $14.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $785.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.47 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50 day moving average of $14.84 and a 200-day moving average of $15.21. SLR Investment has a one year low of $13.64 and a one year high of $17.26.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.40. SLR Investment had a net margin of 42.34% and a return on equity of 8.76%. The business had revenue of $54.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.97 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that SLR Investment will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

SLR Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.4%. SLR Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.47%.

About SLR Investment

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.