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

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 915,000 shares, a growth of 189.3% from the December 31st total of 316,300 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 195,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.7 days.

Carlyle Secured Lending Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ CGBD traded up $0.18 during trading on Thursday, hitting $18.48. 87,682 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 195,141. Carlyle Secured Lending has a 12-month low of $14.76 and a 12-month high of $18.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $940.82 million, a PE ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.01. Carlyle Secured Lending had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 40.69%. The business had revenue of $55.97 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.92 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.52 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Carlyle Secured Lending will post 1.98 EPS for the current year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Carlyle Secured Lending’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Carlyle Secured Lending from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 30.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 13,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 3,249 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending during the third quarter valued at approximately $492,000. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Carlyle Secured Lending during the third quarter worth approximately $235,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Carlyle Secured Lending in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $585,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 8.8% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $325,000 after buying an additional 1,546 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.51% of the company’s stock.

About Carlyle Secured Lending

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.