SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) Hits New 12-Month High at $15.90

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $15.90 and last traded at $15.89, with a volume of 54530 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on SLRC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on SLR Investment from $15.50 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. B. Riley boosted their price target on SLR Investment from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.25.

SLR Investment Stock Up 1.8 %

The stock has a market cap of $867.42 million, a P/E ratio of 11.16 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $15.24 and its 200 day moving average is $15.08.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $59.79 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.00 million. SLR Investment had a net margin of 33.31% and a return on equity of 9.36%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that SLR Investment Corp. will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

SLR Investment Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.31%. SLR Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 117.14%.

Insider Activity at SLR Investment

In related news, insider Michael S. Gross acquired 46,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $15.44 per share, for a total transaction of $721,048.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 3,735,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,676,490.56. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Michael S. Gross bought 22,636 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $15.74 per share, for a total transaction of $356,290.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,804,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,888,496.40. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael S. Gross purchased 46,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $15.44 per share, for a total transaction of $721,048.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 3,735,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,676,490.56. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 109,336 shares of company stock worth $1,680,539 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLR Investment

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in SLR Investment by 8.0% during the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 918,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,094,000 after buying an additional 68,320 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in SLR Investment by 1.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 689,099 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,605,000 after purchasing an additional 12,119 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in SLR Investment in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,821,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of SLR Investment during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,780,000. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 112,343 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,689,000 after acquiring an additional 32,647 shares in the last quarter. 35.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About SLR Investment

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.