Brokerages Set Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) PT at $13.20

Shares of Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $13.20.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on CGBD shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Carlyle Secured Lending from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Citizens Jmp began coverage on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a report on Monday, December 8th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a research note on Monday, December 8th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Carlyle Secured Lending news, Director John G. Nestor sold 4,401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.29, for a total value of $49,687.29. Following the sale, the director owned 5,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,275.64. The trade was a 44.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bright Futures Wealth Management LLC. acquired a new position in Carlyle Secured Lending in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,206,000. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 38.4% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 459,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,291,000 after purchasing an additional 127,681 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 58.4% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 418,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,231,000 after purchasing an additional 154,355 shares in the last quarter. Cliffwater LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the second quarter valued at approximately $7,505,000. Finally, North Ground Capital purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the third quarter valued at approximately $5,952,000. 24.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Carlyle Secured Lending Trading Down 0.8%

CGBD opened at $11.20 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $791.58 million, a PE ratio of 10.98 and a beta of 0.70. Carlyle Secured Lending has a one year low of $10.61 and a one year high of $17.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $11.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.31.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.05). Carlyle Secured Lending had a return on equity of 8.56% and a net margin of 27.38%.The business had revenue of $66.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.26 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Carlyle Secured Lending will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Carlyle Secured Lending’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 156.86%.

Carlyle Secured Lending Company Profile

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc (NASDAQ: CGBD) is a closed-end, non-diversified business development company that provides customized debt financing solutions to middle-market companies. Chartered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the company invests primarily in floating-rate senior secured loans, including first-lien, unitranche and one-stop structures. Its objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation through disciplined credit selection and active portfolio management.

The firm focuses on U.S.