Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.6250.

Several research firms recently issued reports on SAR. Zacks Research raised Saratoga Investment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saratoga Investment in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reduced their target price on Saratoga Investment from $23.50 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 16th.

Saratoga Investment Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE SAR opened at $23.30 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $23.23 and its 200 day moving average is $23.56. Saratoga Investment has a 52 week low of $21.10 and a 52 week high of $26.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market cap of $376.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.55 and a beta of 0.56.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $23.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.35 million. Saratoga Investment had a net margin of 30.61% and a return on equity of 9.19%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Saratoga Investment will post 3.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Saratoga Investment Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. Saratoga Investment’s payout ratio is presently 122.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saratoga Investment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SAR. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Saratoga Investment by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 113,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,624,000 after buying an additional 4,998 shares during the period. Closed End Fund Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,680,000. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Saratoga Investment by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 199,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,855,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Saratoga Investment by 100.9% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 5,973 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Saratoga Investment by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 61,809 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,426,000 after purchasing an additional 9,199 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.09% of the company’s stock.

About Saratoga Investment

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.