Cliffwater LLC Lowers Stake in Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. $CGBD

Cliffwater LLC lessened its stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) by 62.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 207,319 shares of the company’s stock after selling 341,298 shares during the period. Carlyle Secured Lending comprises approximately 0.5% of Cliffwater LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Cliffwater LLC’s holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending were worth $2,591,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CGBD. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 71.9% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Carlyle Secured Lending in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending by 1,011.6% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 3,925 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Security National Bank bought a new position in Carlyle Secured Lending in the third quarter worth about $64,000. 24.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Carlyle Secured Lending Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CGBD opened at $10.95 on Wednesday. Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $10.61 and a fifty-two week high of $17.34. The company has a market cap of $773.95 million, a PE ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.52.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $66.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.26 million. Carlyle Secured Lending had a net margin of 27.38% and a return on equity of 8.56%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.6%. Carlyle Secured Lending’s dividend payout ratio is presently 156.86%.

Insider Activity

In other Carlyle Secured Lending news, Director John G. Nestor sold 4,401 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.29, for a total value of $49,687.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,275.64. This trade represents a 44.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CGBD. Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a report on Monday, December 8th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a research note on Monday, December 8th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. B. Riley Financial raised shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Carlyle Secured Lending presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.60.

Carlyle Secured Lending Profile

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc (NASDAQ: CGBD) is a closed-end, non-diversified business development company that provides customized debt financing solutions to middle-market companies. Chartered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the company invests primarily in floating-rate senior secured loans, including first-lien, unitranche and one-stop structures. Its objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation through disciplined credit selection and active portfolio management.

The firm focuses on U.S.