SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

Shares of SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) have earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.85.

SLRC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of SLR Investment from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Compass Point increased their price target on shares of SLR Investment from $16.50 to $17.25 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on SLR Investment from $12.50 to $13.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLR Investment

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in SLR Investment by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,336,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,113,000 after acquiring an additional 4,510 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning purchased a new position in shares of SLR Investment in the 3rd quarter worth $170,000. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 15,541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 2,022 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in SLR Investment during the fourth quarter worth $3,895,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of SLR Investment by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,044,152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,874,000 after buying an additional 44,861 shares during the period. 35.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SLR Investment Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of SLRC traded down $0.50 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $17.26. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 440,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 157,345. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $16.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. SLR Investment has a 52 week low of $14.41 and a 52 week high of $17.94. The stock has a market cap of $941.71 million, a PE ratio of 9.75 and a beta of 1.13.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $55.58 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.08 million. SLR Investment had a net margin of 40.89% and a return on equity of 9.73%. On average, analysts predict that SLR Investment will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLR Investment Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.50%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. SLR Investment’s dividend payout ratio is currently 93.71%.

About SLR Investment

SLR Investment Corp. is a business development company specializing in secured debt (first lien unitranche and second lien), subordinated (unsecured) debt, minority equity, leveraged buyouts, acquisitions, recapitalizations, general refinancing, growth capital and strategic income-oriented control equity investments in leveraged middle market companies.