Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) Director John Nestor Sells 4,401 Shares

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) Director John Nestor sold 4,401 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.29, for a total value of $49,687.29. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,275.64. This represents a 44.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Carlyle Secured Lending Price Performance

Shares of CGBD stock traded down $0.15 on Monday, hitting $10.87. 1,090,226 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 629,894. The company has a 50 day moving average of $12.15 and a 200 day moving average of $12.57. The stock has a market cap of $768.29 million, a P/E ratio of 10.66 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.61 and a 12 month high of $17.38.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $66.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.26 million. Carlyle Secured Lending had a return on equity of 8.56% and a net margin of 27.38%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.7%. Carlyle Secured Lending’s payout ratio is 156.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on CGBD shares. B. Riley Financial upgraded shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on Carlyle Secured Lending in a research note on Monday, December 8th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen raised Carlyle Secured Lending from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised Carlyle Secured Lending from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.60.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carlyle Secured Lending

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bright Futures Wealth Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the third quarter worth approximately $1,206,000. Cascade Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Carlyle Secured Lending during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $600,000. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 38.4% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 459,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,291,000 after purchasing an additional 127,681 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending by 58.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 418,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,231,000 after purchasing an additional 154,355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cliffwater LLC acquired a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,505,000. 24.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Carlyle Secured Lending

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc (NASDAQ: CGBD) is a closed-end, non-diversified business development company that provides customized debt financing solutions to middle-market companies. Chartered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the company invests primarily in floating-rate senior secured loans, including first-lien, unitranche and one-stop structures. Its objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation through disciplined credit selection and active portfolio management.

The firm focuses on U.S.