Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $12.50.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th.

Carlyle Secured Lending Stock Up 3.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:CGBD opened at $10.94 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.58. The firm has a market cap of $760.33 million, a P/E ratio of 15.41 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 1.72. Carlyle Secured Lending has a 52-week low of $10.48 and a 52-week high of $14.49.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $64.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.78 million. Carlyle Secured Lending had a return on equity of 8.99% and a net margin of 19.52%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Carlyle Secured Lending will post 1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Carlyle Secured Lending’s dividend payout ratio is currently 197.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carlyle Secured Lending

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending by 58.2% during the 4th quarter. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC now owns 1,900,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,740,000 after purchasing an additional 699,586 shares in the last quarter. North Ground Capital boosted its holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending by 91.6% during the 4th quarter. North Ground Capital now owns 912,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,394,000 after acquiring an additional 436,086 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 901,237 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,265,000 after acquiring an additional 121,651 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 35.7% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 862,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,770,000 after acquiring an additional 226,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Muzinich & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 47.3% in the 4th quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 736,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,198,000 after acquiring an additional 236,524 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.51% of the company’s stock.

Carlyle Secured Lending Company 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.