Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 399,940 shares, a drop of 20.8% from the December 15th total of 505,110 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 534,713 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Based on an average daily volume of 534,713 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Bain Capital Specialty Finance

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 18,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC lifted its stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 145.0% in the 4th quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 75,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,055,000 after acquiring an additional 44,877 shares in the last quarter. Curated Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance in the 4th quarter worth about $1,391,000. Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,320,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 26.9% during the 3rd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 65,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $922,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCSF has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Bain Capital Specialty Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Bain Capital Specialty Finance from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $16.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $14.00 price target on shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Bain Capital Specialty Finance currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.00.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE BCSF traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $13.52. 400,756 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 360,855. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Bain Capital Specialty Finance has a 1 year low of $13.20 and a 1 year high of $19.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $877.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.39 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50 day moving average of $14.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.53.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Bain Capital Specialty Finance had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 33.45%.The firm had revenue of $67.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $69.53 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Bain Capital Specialty Finance will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Bain Capital Specialty Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 116.67%.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Company Profile

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE: BCSF) is a closed-end interval fund organized as a specialty finance company. Since commencing operations in March 2017, the company has focused on originating and acquiring debt and equity investments in middle-market companies. It is structured to offer investors access to private credit and special situations strategies that are typically unavailable through traditional public debt markets.

The firm’s core business activities include direct lending to U.S.