Zacks Research Upgrades Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) to “Hold”

Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Capital One Financial set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Great Elm Capital Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Janney Montgomery Scott decreased their price target on Great Elm Capital Group from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Great Elm Capital Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Great Elm Capital Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $10.50.

Great Elm Capital Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GECC opened at $6.85 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 0.07 and a quick ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $95.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.23 and a beta of 0.64. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $7.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.29. Great Elm Capital Group has a 1-year low of $6.61 and a 1-year high of $11.45.

Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $7.58 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.48 million. Great Elm Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 10.97% and a negative net margin of 17.08%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Great Elm Capital Group will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Matthew D. Kaplan bought 19,650 shares of Great Elm Capital Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $7.64 per share, with a total value of $150,126.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 142,400 shares in the company, valued at $1,087,936. This represents a 16.01% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 8.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Elm Capital Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GECC. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in shares of Great Elm Capital Group during the second quarter valued at $41,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in Great Elm Capital Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $306,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Great Elm Capital Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $169,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Great Elm Capital Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $160,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Great Elm Capital Group during the third quarter worth about $145,000. 38.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Great Elm Capital Group

Great Elm Capital Group, Inc (NASDAQ: GECC) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company (BDC) that seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing in private, middle-market companies. The firm targets senior secured loans, subordinated debt and equity securities of U.S. companies, with a focus on businesses offering stable cash flows and potential for growth. Industry sectors of interest include business services, consumer products, industrials and healthcare, among others.

GECC’s investment strategy emphasizes portfolio diversification and active management.