Eagle Point Credit Company Inc. (NYSE:ECC) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Eagle Point Credit Company Inc. (NYSE:ECC) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $6.6667.

ECC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered Eagle Point Credit from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Credit Suisse Group set a $5.00 price target on shares of Eagle Point Credit in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered shares of Eagle Point Credit from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, B. Riley Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Eagle Point Credit from $7.00 to $4.25 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Portfolio Manager Daniel W. Ko purchased 57,165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $3.50 per share, with a total value of $200,077.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the portfolio manager owned 82,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $289,327.50. This represents a 224.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Point Credit

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. North Ground Capital purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Point Credit during the third quarter valued at $4,186,000. Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Point Credit in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,203,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Eagle Point Credit by 40.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 423,570 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $2,800,000 after purchasing an additional 122,470 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Eagle Point Credit by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 306,809 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $2,028,000 after buying an additional 11,940 shares during the period. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Eagle Point Credit by 34.4% during the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 29,814 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 7,639 shares during the period. 19.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eagle Point Credit Stock Performance

ECC opened at $3.99 on Monday. Eagle Point Credit has a one year low of $3.46 and a one year high of $8.23. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $4.27 and its 200-day moving average is $5.44. The company has a market capitalization of $503.43 million, a PE ratio of 20.97 and a beta of 0.30.

Eagle Point Credit Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 18.1%. Eagle Point Credit’s payout ratio is 884.21%.

About Eagle Point Credit

Eagle Point Credit Company is a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns primarily through investments in collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) and related structured credit instruments. The firm is externally managed by Eagle Point Credit Management, LLC, a specialized credit asset manager focused on the structured credit markets. Eagle Point Credit Company’s shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ECC.

The company’s investment strategy centers on acquiring both equity and debt tranches of actively managed CLOs alongside opportunistic positions in senior secured loans, high-yield bonds and credit derivatives.