Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.02, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $25.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.35 million. Saratoga Investment had a net margin of 27.19% and a return on equity of 10.09%.

Saratoga Investment Stock Performance

NYSE SAR traded down $0.59 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $22.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 232,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 186,868. Saratoga Investment has a 12 month low of $21.10 and a 12 month high of $26.17. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.84. The company has a market cap of $363.88 million, a P/E ratio of 9.66 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.29.

Saratoga Investment Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.3%. Saratoga Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 128.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in Saratoga Investment in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment in the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Saratoga Investment by 24.0% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 6,256 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,211 shares during the period. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its position in Saratoga Investment by 4,814.7% during the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 12,729 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 12,470 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 19.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on SAR shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saratoga Investment in a report on Monday, December 29th. B. Riley cut their price target on Saratoga Investment from $23.50 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Saratoga Investment to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Saratoga Investment in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Saratoga Investment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $23.63.

Saratoga Investment Company Profile

Saratoga Investment Corp. is a closed-end, externally managed investment company that seeks to generate current income and total return through a diversified portfolio of private U.S. companies. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SAR, the firm primarily targets middle-market businesses across a broad range of industries, including industrials, healthcare, consumer products, financial services and technology. Its investment approach combines debt and equity instruments, providing flexible capital solutions such as first-lien and second-lien secured loans, mezzanine debt, preferred equity and common equity positions.

As an actively managed vehicle, Saratoga Investment works closely with portfolio companies’ management teams to support growth initiatives, operational improvements, and strategic transactions.