Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,913,203 shares, a decline of 16.5% from the March 31st total of 3,488,734 shares. Approximately 4.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 901,181 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Carlyle Secured Lending Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ CGBD opened at $11.96 on Friday. Carlyle Secured Lending has a 52-week low of $10.61 and a 52-week high of $14.72. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $11.23 and a 200-day moving average of $12.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $838.75 million, a PE ratio of 11.73 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.05). Carlyle Secured Lending had a net margin of 27.38% and a return on equity of 8.56%. The company had revenue of $66.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.26 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Carlyle Secured Lending will post 1.44 EPS for the current year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.4%. Carlyle Secured Lending’s payout ratio is currently 156.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on CGBD shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, B. Riley Financial raised shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Carlyle Secured Lending news, Director John G. Nestor sold 4,401 shares of Carlyle Secured Lending stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.29, for a total value of $49,687.29. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,275.64. The trade was a 44.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Carlyle Secured Lending

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 58.2% during the 4th quarter. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC now owns 1,900,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,740,000 after purchasing an additional 699,586 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank purchased a new stake in Carlyle Secured Lending during the 4th quarter worth $6,245,000. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 199.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 727,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,095,000 after purchasing an additional 484,581 shares during the period. North Ground Capital purchased a new stake in Carlyle Secured Lending during the 3rd quarter worth $5,952,000. Finally, Closed End Fund Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Carlyle Secured Lending during the 4th quarter worth $3,190,000. 24.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Carlyle Secured Lending

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc (NASDAQ: CGBD) is a closed-end, non-diversified business development company that provides customized debt financing solutions to middle-market companies. Chartered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the company invests primarily in floating-rate senior secured loans, including first-lien, unitranche and one-stop structures. Its objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation through disciplined credit selection and active portfolio management.

The firm focuses on U.S.