Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) has earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.50.

Several research firms have weighed in on SAR. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Saratoga Investment from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered Saratoga Investment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research cut Saratoga Investment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Saratoga Investment from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, B. Riley Financial cut their price target on Saratoga Investment from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th.

Saratoga Investment Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SAR opened at $18.41 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $20.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.74. Saratoga Investment has a twelve month low of $17.34 and a twelve month high of $25.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.05 million, a PE ratio of 18.41 and a beta of 0.55.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $2.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 million. Saratoga Investment had a return on equity of 8.76% and a net margin of 12.70%. Equities research analysts expect that Saratoga Investment will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

Saratoga Investment Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 16.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. Saratoga Investment’s payout ratio is presently 300.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saratoga Investment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAR. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in Saratoga Investment in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Saratoga Investment during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment in the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Saratoga Investment by 66.2% in the second quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 2,950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,175 shares in the last quarter. 19.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Saratoga Investment Company Profile

Saratoga Investment Corp. is a closed-end, externally managed investment company that seeks to generate current income and total return through a diversified portfolio of private U.S. companies. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SAR, the firm primarily targets middle-market businesses across a broad range of industries, including industrials, healthcare, consumer products, financial services and technology. Its investment approach combines debt and equity instruments, providing flexible capital solutions such as first-lien and second-lien secured loans, mezzanine debt, preferred equity and common equity positions.

As an actively managed vehicle, Saratoga Investment works closely with portfolio companies’ management teams to support growth initiatives, operational improvements, and strategic transactions.