SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on SLRC. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $13.00 price target (up previously from $12.00) on shares of SLR Investment in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of SLR Investment in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of SLR Investment from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.11.

SLR Investment Price Performance

SLRC opened at $14.32 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $15.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.03. SLR Investment has a twelve month low of $13.64 and a twelve month high of $17.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $53.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $53.38 million. SLR Investment had a net margin of 39.93% and a return on equity of 9.26%. Equities research analysts forecast that SLR Investment will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

SLR Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th were given a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 12th. SLR Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Andrea Colvin Roberts purchased 7,190 shares of SLR Investment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.73 per share, with a total value of $120,288.70. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,190 shares in the company, valued at $120,288.70. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 8.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLR Investment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 1,414.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 18,057 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 16,865 shares during the last quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in SLR Investment by 2.8% during the first quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 62,084 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,047,000 after acquiring an additional 1,716 shares in the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC acquired a new position in SLR Investment during the first quarter valued at approximately $289,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC grew its stake in SLR Investment by 12.9% in the first quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 18,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 2,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of SLR Investment during the 1st quarter worth approximately $637,000. 35.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SLR Investment Company Profile

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.