Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) Reaches New 52-Week Low on Disappointing Earnings

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as low as $10.96 and last traded at $11.1010, with a volume of 238275 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $11.45.

The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.05). Carlyle Secured Lending had a net margin of 27.38% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The company had revenue of $66.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.26 million.

Carlyle Secured Lending Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Carlyle Secured Lending’s dividend payout ratio is 135.59%.

Key Stories Impacting Carlyle Secured Lending

Here are the key news stories impacting Carlyle Secured Lending this week:

• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley upgraded CGBD from “neutral” to “buy” and set a $13.00 price target (about a mid-teens upside from the recent share level), which can attract buyer interest and support the stock. B. Riley Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share (annualized yield ~14.1%), payable April 16 to holders of record March 31 — a strong income signal that can support demand from yield-focused investors. Dividend Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors can review the company’s full Q4 2025 earnings call transcript for management commentary on portfolio performance, credit trends and capital allocation — helpful for assessing near-term earnings and dividend sustainability. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: CGBD missed Q4 estimates: reported EPS $0.33 vs. consensus $0.38 and revenue ~$66.9M vs. ~$67.3M consensus — an earnings shortfall that likely pressured the stock and raises near-term earnings visibility concerns. Earnings Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose materially in February to ~1.13M shares (up ~28.7% vs. Jan 29), representing ~2.2% of shares outstanding and ~1.8 days to cover — higher short activity can add downward pressure and volatility. (Data reported Feb. 13).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th. B. Riley Financial raised shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a report on Monday, December 8th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Carlyle Secured Lending in a research note on Monday, December 8th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.80.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carlyle Secured Lending

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CGBD. Creative Planning increased its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 0.9% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 4,916,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,255,000 after buying an additional 44,062 shares during the period. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 58.2% during the 4th quarter. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC now owns 1,900,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,740,000 after acquiring an additional 699,586 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $20,529,000. North Ground Capital raised its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 91.6% in the 4th quarter. North Ground Capital now owns 912,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,394,000 after acquiring an additional 436,086 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 901,237 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,265,000 after acquiring an additional 121,651 shares in the last quarter. 24.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Carlyle Secured Lending Trading Down 0.7%

The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $579.42 million, a PE ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $12.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.70.

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.