WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHF) Short Interest Up 57.0% in March

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHF) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 338,100 shares, an increase of 57.0% from the February 28th total of 215,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 97,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on WhiteHorse Finance from $9.50 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th.

WhiteHorse Finance Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WHF opened at $9.54 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $10.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.72. WhiteHorse Finance has a 1-year low of $9.45 and a 1-year high of $13.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.20 and a beta of 1.25.

WhiteHorse Finance (NASDAQ:WHF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 7th. The investment management company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $21.01 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.43 million. WhiteHorse Finance had a return on equity of 12.86% and a net margin of 10.65%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that WhiteHorse Finance will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

WhiteHorse Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 16.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. WhiteHorse Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 327.66%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WhiteHorse Finance

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC acquired a new stake in shares of WhiteHorse Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in WhiteHorse Finance in the 4th quarter valued at $101,000. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in WhiteHorse Finance by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 15,182 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,495 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in WhiteHorse Finance during the 4th quarter worth $154,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in WhiteHorse Finance by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 19,418 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 3,683 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.20% of the company’s stock.

About WhiteHorse Finance

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc is business development company, non-diversified, closed end management company specializing in originating senior secured loans, lower middle market, growth capital industries. It invests in broadline retail, office services and supplies, building products, health care services, health care supplies, research and consulting services, application software, home furnishings, specialized consumer services, data processing and outsourced services, leisure facilities, cable, and satellite.