Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also commented on GECC. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Great Elm Capital Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Janney Montgomery Scott cut their target price on Great Elm Capital Group from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Clear Str cut shares of Great Elm Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $10.50.

Great Elm Capital Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ GECC opened at $5.70 on Thursday. Great Elm Capital Group has a 52-week low of $5.64 and a 52-week high of $11.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $6.75 and a 200-day moving average of $8.05. The company has a market capitalization of $79.80 million, a P/E ratio of -2.48 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a current ratio of 0.24.

Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The financial services provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.01). Great Elm Capital Group had a negative net margin of 63.59% and a positive return on equity of 13.19%. The firm had revenue of ($39.96) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.16 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Great Elm Capital Group will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Great Elm Capital Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Great Elm Capital Group’s payout ratio is -64.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Elm Capital Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Great Elm Capital Group by 95.5% during the third quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 24,474 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 11,956 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in Great Elm Capital Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $306,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Great Elm Capital Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $160,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Great Elm Capital Group in the 3rd quarter worth $169,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Great Elm Capital Group in the third quarter valued at about $145,000. 38.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Great Elm Capital Group Company Profile

Great Elm Capital Group, Inc (NASDAQ: GECC) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company (BDC) that seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing in private, middle-market companies. The firm targets senior secured loans, subordinated debt and equity securities of U.S. companies, with a focus on businesses offering stable cash flows and potential for growth. Industry sectors of interest include business services, consumer products, industrials and healthcare, among others.

GECC’s investment strategy emphasizes portfolio diversification and active management.