Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBDC) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBDC) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $13.90.

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Golub Capital BDC from $14.00 to $13.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research upgraded Golub Capital BDC from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Golub Capital BDC from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Golub Capital BDC from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th.

Golub Capital BDC Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ GBDC opened at $12.01 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.88. Golub Capital BDC has a fifty-two week low of $11.77 and a fifty-two week high of $14.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ:GBDC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The investment management company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. Golub Capital BDC had a net margin of 21.45% and a return on equity of 9.91%. The firm had revenue of $98.53 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.91 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.39 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Golub Capital BDC will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

Golub Capital BDC Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th were paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 14th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.0%. Golub Capital BDC’s dividend payout ratio is presently 203.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Golub Capital BDC news, Director Lawrence Golub sold 1,676,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.06, for a total transaction of $21,893,614.22. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Golub Capital BDC

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Golub Capital BDC by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 7,345,885 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $94,615,000 after acquiring an additional 299,240 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Golub Capital BDC in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,191,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Golub Capital BDC in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $16,206,000. Orographic Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Golub Capital BDC during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,069,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new position in Golub Capital BDC during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,833,000. 42.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Golub Capital BDC Company Profile

Golub Capital BDC, Inc is a business development company that provides financing to middle-market companies. The company primarily invests in privately owned businesses through senior secured loans, unitranche loans, second-lien loans, subordinated debt and, to a lesser extent, equity investments. Its objective is to generate current income and long-term capital appreciation by supporting companies across a range of industries.

Golub Capital BDC generally works with companies that are backed by private equity firms and provides customized financing for acquisitions, recapitalizations, refinancings, growth initiatives and other corporate purposes.