Barings Bdc (NYSE:BBDC) Cut to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Barings Bdc (NYSE:BBDC) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

BBDC has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Barings Bdc from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Lucid Cap Mkts upgraded Barings Bdc to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.50.

Barings Bdc Stock Up 0.8%

BBDC stock opened at $8.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $864.04 million, a P/E ratio of 9.71 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. Barings Bdc has a one year low of $7.96 and a one year high of $9.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $8.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.65.

Barings Bdc (NYSE:BBDC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25. Barings Bdc had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 32.45%.The company had revenue of $54.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.54 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Barings Bdc will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Barings Bdc Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 3rd. Barings Bdc’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 122.35%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Thomas Mcdonnell acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.27 per share, for a total transaction of $82,700.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 26,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $215,020. This represents a 62.50% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barings Bdc

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBDC. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Barings Bdc by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 149,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,369,000 after purchasing an additional 1,228 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Barings Bdc by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,369 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Barings Bdc by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 29,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its position in Barings Bdc by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 29,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castleview Partners LLC increased its position in Barings Bdc by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 13,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 1,441 shares in the last quarter. 44.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Barings Bdc Company Profile

Barings BDC Inc (NYSE: BBDC) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company that provides flexible financing solutions to middle-market companies. As an investment vehicle organized under the Investment Company Act of 1940, BBDC seeks to generate both current income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in senior secured loans, second lien loans, mezzanine debt and equity co-investments. The company targets established businesses across a diverse range of industries, including healthcare, industrials, consumer products and business services.

The company is sponsored and managed by Barings LLC, a global investment manager and subsidiary of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual).