MQS Management LLC Makes New $852,000 Investment in Fidus Investment Corporation $FDUS

MQS Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 44,143 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $852,000. Fidus Investment makes up 0.5% of MQS Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 22.4% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 439,915 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $8,913,000 after purchasing an additional 80,500 shares in the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC boosted its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 21.0% during 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. Rockland Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Fidus Investment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,133,000. Muzinich & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 40.3% during 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. Finally, Riverbridge Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 73.7% during the 4th quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 101,578 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 43,098 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 28.14% of the company’s stock.

Fidus Investment Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ FDUS opened at $18.63 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $707.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.17 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.94. Fidus Investment Corporation has a 1 year low of $16.86 and a 1 year high of $22.09.

Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The asset manager reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $34.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.30 million. Fidus Investment had a net margin of 49.51% and a return on equity of 11.19%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Fidus Investment Corporation will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Fidus Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 388.0%. Fidus Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Fidus Investment from $20.00 to $19.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Fidus Investment presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Fidus Investment Company Profile

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.