Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 401,900 shares, a decrease of 25.9% from the January 31st total of 542,600 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 214,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CGBD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America cut Carlyle Secured Lending from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $17.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Carlyle Secured Lending Stock Performance

NASDAQ CGBD traded down $0.09 on Wednesday, hitting $17.23. 3,985 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 210,968. The firm has a market cap of $877.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 1.57. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $18.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.45. Carlyle Secured Lending has a fifty-two week low of $15.01 and a fifty-two week high of $18.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Carlyle Secured Lending Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.29%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. Carlyle Secured Lending’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.77%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CGBD. Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 541.8% during the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 2,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 2,167 shares in the last quarter. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Lido Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 11,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 1,247 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 12.9% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 13,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Finally, EMC Capital Management increased its holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending by 56.9% in the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 13,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 4,722 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.51% of the company’s stock.

Carlyle Secured Lending Company Profile

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc is business development company specializing in first lien debt, senior secured loans, second lien senior secured loan unsecured debt, mezzanine debt and investments in equities. It specializes in directly investing. It specializes in middle market. It targets healthcare and pharmaceutical, aerospace and defense, high tech industries, business services, software, beverage food and tobacco, hotel gamming and leisure, banking finance insurance and in real estate sector.