SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 451,223 shares, a growth of 42.9% from the January 29th total of 315,801 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 308,185 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Based on an average trading volume of 308,185 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SLRC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded SLR Investment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of SLR Investment in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of SLR Investment from $17.00 to $16.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $16.00 price target on SLR Investment and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, SLR Investment presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.89.

SLR Investment Trading Down 4.9%

Shares of SLR Investment stock traded down $0.74 during trading on Friday, reaching $14.42. The stock had a trading volume of 441,878 shares, compared to its average volume of 333,540. SLR Investment has a 52 week low of $13.64 and a 52 week high of $17.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $15.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.04.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40. The business had revenue of $54.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.97 million. SLR Investment had a return on equity of 8.76% and a net margin of 42.34%. On average, research analysts expect that SLR Investment will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLR Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. SLR Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.47%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 4.4% during the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 14,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of SLR Investment by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 30,599 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $474,000 after acquiring an additional 672 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in SLR Investment by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 30,238 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of SLR Investment by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,902 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 96,455 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,491,000 after purchasing an additional 881 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.32% of the company’s stock.

SLR Investment Company Profile

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ: SLRC) is a closed‐end, externally managed business development company that provides customized debt and equity financing solutions to middle‐market companies. The firm seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in senior secured loans, second lien financings, mezzanine debt and equity co‐investments. Its flexible capital approach allows it to structure financing across the capital structure to address a range of sponsor‐backed transactions.

SLR Investment Corp.