Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS) Short Interest Up 58.2% in March

Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 501,725 shares, an increase of 58.2% from the February 26th total of 317,067 shares. Approximately 1.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 290,538 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidus Investment

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FDUS. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in Fidus Investment in the fourth quarter valued at $4,778,000. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in Fidus Investment during the 4th quarter worth about $2,118,000. Muzinich & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 347,114 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $6,699,000 after acquiring an additional 99,671 shares in the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC raised its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 485,780 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,376,000 after acquiring an additional 84,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Fidus Investment by 22.4% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 439,915 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,913,000 after purchasing an additional 80,500 shares during the period. 28.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fidus Investment Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:FDUS traded down $0.37 during trading on Friday, hitting $16.92. 411,122 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 281,878. Fidus Investment has a 1-year low of $16.70 and a 1-year high of $22.09. The company has a market capitalization of $642.11 million, a P/E ratio of 7.23 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s 50 day moving average is $18.59 and its 200-day moving average is $19.53.

Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.04. Fidus Investment had a net margin of 52.87% and a return on equity of 10.71%. The business had revenue of $32.73 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.46 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fidus Investment will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Fidus Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.2%. Fidus Investment’s payout ratio is 73.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on FDUS. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidus Investment in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Fidus Investment from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Fidus Investment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.25.

About Fidus Investment

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.