Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.07 EPS

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The financial services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.07), FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of ($12.15) million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 million. Saratoga Investment had a net margin of 12.70% and a return on equity of 8.61%.

Saratoga Investment Price Performance

SAR stock opened at $17.98 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $292.47 million, a PE ratio of 17.98 and a beta of 0.54. Saratoga Investment has a 12 month low of $17.77 and a 12 month high of $25.64. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $22.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Saratoga Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 16.7%. Saratoga Investment’s payout ratio is currently 300.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Saratoga Investment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saratoga Investment in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Saratoga Investment presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $23.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of SAR. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Saratoga Investment by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 113,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,624,000 after acquiring an additional 4,998 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Saratoga Investment by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 158,286 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,861,000 after acquiring an additional 7,006 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC grew its position in Saratoga Investment by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 197,873 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,826,000 after acquiring an additional 11,620 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new position in Saratoga Investment in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in Saratoga Investment in the third quarter worth $45,000. 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.