Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) Short Interest Down 13.6% in February

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 347,200 shares, a drop of 13.6% from the February 13th total of 401,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 222,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CGBD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Carlyle Secured Lending from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $17.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, February 10th.

Institutional Trading of Carlyle Secured Lending

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 541.8% in the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 2,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 2,167 shares during the last quarter. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 11,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,000 after acquiring an additional 1,247 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 12.9% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 13,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 56.9% in the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 13,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 4,722 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.51% of the company’s stock.

Carlyle Secured Lending Price Performance

CGBD stock traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $17.13. 82,206 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 210,372. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $17.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $872.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.57 and a beta of 1.57. Carlyle Secured Lending has a fifty-two week low of $15.01 and a fifty-two week high of $18.74.

Carlyle Secured Lending Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.34%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. Carlyle Secured Lending’s payout ratio is currently 98.77%.

Carlyle Secured Lending Company Profile

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc is business development company specializing in first lien debt, senior secured loans, second lien senior secured loan unsecured debt, mezzanine debt and investments in equities. It specializes in directly investing. It specializes in middle market. It targets healthcare and pharmaceutical, aerospace and defense, high tech industries, business services, software, beverage food and tobacco, hotel gamming and leisure, banking finance insurance and in real estate sector.