WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHF) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHF) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 372,800 shares, a growth of 188.3% from the March 31st total of 129,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 75,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.0 days. Approximately 2.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WHF shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on WhiteHorse Finance from $12.00 to $11.50 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 1st. B. Riley lowered shares of WhiteHorse Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $13.25 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of WhiteHorse Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.81.

WhiteHorse Finance Stock Performance

WHF opened at $12.90 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $12.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.80 million, a P/E ratio of 14.66 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. WhiteHorse Finance has a 12-month low of $11.13 and a 12-month high of $13.69.

WhiteHorse Finance (NASDAQ:WHF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The investment management company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46. The firm had revenue of $25.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.33 million. WhiteHorse Finance had a net margin of 19.77% and a return on equity of 13.20%. On average, equities analysts forecast that WhiteHorse Finance will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

WhiteHorse Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 22nd were issued a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 21st. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.94%. WhiteHorse Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 175.00%.

Institutional Trading of WhiteHorse Finance

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WHF. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of WhiteHorse Finance by 1,130.0% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,460 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,260 shares during the period. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in WhiteHorse Finance in the 4th quarter valued at $89,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of WhiteHorse Finance in the 3rd quarter valued at $145,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of WhiteHorse Finance during the 4th quarter worth about $168,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WhiteHorse Finance during the 3rd quarter valued at about $248,000. Institutional investors own 13.20% of the company’s stock.

About WhiteHorse Finance

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc is business development company, non-diversified, closed end management company specializing in originating senior secured loans, lower middle market, growth capital industries. It invests in broadline retail, office services and supplies, building products, health care services, health care supplies, research and consulting services, application software, home furnishings, specialized consumer services, data processing and outsourced services, leisure facilities, cable, and satellite.