Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 491,723 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 77% from the previous session’s volume of 277,588 shares.The stock last traded at $19.91 and had previously closed at $19.33.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Fidus Investment from $20.00 to $19.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidus Investment in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Fidus Investment currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Fidus Investment Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.69. The firm has a market cap of $753.95 million, a PE ratio of 8.74 and a beta of 0.67.

Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The asset manager reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $37.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.30 million. Fidus Investment had a return on equity of 11.19% and a net margin of 49.51%. Equities analysts forecast that Fidus Investment Corporation will post 2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fidus Investment Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a yield of 414.0%. Fidus Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 75.44%.

Institutional Trading of Fidus Investment

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FDUS. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Fidus Investment by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 903,443 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $18,304,000 after acquiring an additional 56,449 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Fidus Investment by 3.6% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 542,315 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,447,000 after acquiring an additional 18,656 shares during the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC raised its position in Fidus Investment by 4.1% during the first quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 505,567 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,807,000 after purchasing an additional 19,787 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Fidus Investment by 11.5% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 497,921 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $10,088,000 after purchasing an additional 51,218 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of Fidus Investment by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 439,945 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,491,000 after purchasing an additional 64,209 shares during the last quarter. 28.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fidus Investment Company Profile

Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ: FDUS) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company (BDC) that provides specialized financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. Operated by Fidus Investment Advisors, LLC, a registered investment adviser, the company is regulated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

The firm focuses on structuring senior secured and unitranche loans, mezzanine debt and equity investments for established businesses across a range of industries.