Gladstone Investment (NASDAQ:GAIN) Upgraded to Buy at Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc.

Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. upgraded shares of Gladstone Investment (NASDAQ:GAIN) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has $17.00 price objective on the investment management company’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Gladstone Investment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered Gladstone Investment from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Gladstone Investment from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.83.

Gladstone Investment Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of GAIN stock opened at $15.19 on Wednesday. Gladstone Investment has a 12-month low of $13.11 and a 12-month high of $17.14. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $15.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $604.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66 and a beta of 0.72.

Gladstone Investment (NASDAQ:GAIN) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The investment management company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $24.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.92 million. Gladstone Investment had a return on equity of 5.31% and a net margin of 149.34%. As a group, research analysts predict that Gladstone Investment will post 1.00 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gladstone Investment Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 21st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Gladstone Investment’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gladstone Investment

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Gladstone Investment in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,764,000. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Gladstone Investment by 25.1% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 17,074 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 3,422 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gladstone Investment during the second quarter valued at approximately $123,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Gladstone Investment by 35.8% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 804,098 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $12,431,000 after purchasing an additional 212,170 shares during the period. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gladstone Investment in the second quarter valued at approximately $572,000. Institutional investors own 11.85% of the company’s stock.

Gladstone Investment Company Profile

Gladstone Investment Corporation is a publicly traded business development company that provides debt and equity capital to established lower middle-market businesses in the United States. The company invests in connection with management buyouts, acquisitions, recapitalizations and growth initiatives. Its investments may include secured loans and ownership stakes, allowing Gladstone Investment to support portfolio companies with both financing and equity capital. The company typically seeks businesses with established operations and opportunities for continued development.