Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) Sees Large Volume Increase – Here’s Why

Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . 887,731 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 196% from the previous session’s volume of 299,770 shares.The stock last traded at $20.2610 and had previously closed at $20.58.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FDUS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidus Investment in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $19.50 price objective on shares of Fidus Investment in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Fidus Investment Stock Down 1.1%

The business’s 50 day moving average is $19.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.79. The firm has a market cap of $772.28 million, a P/E ratio of 9.74 and a beta of 0.67.

Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The asset manager reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50. Fidus Investment had a net margin of 45.36% and a return on equity of 10.90%. The business had revenue of $32.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.37 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Fidus Investment Corporation will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Fidus Investment Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Fidus Investment’s payout ratio is currently 75.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidus Investment

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Fidus Investment by 3.6% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 542,315 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,447,000 after purchasing an additional 18,656 shares in the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC grew its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 505,567 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $8,807,000 after buying an additional 19,787 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 497,921 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $10,088,000 after buying an additional 51,218 shares during the period. UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of Fidus Investment by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 439,945 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,491,000 after acquiring an additional 64,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Fidus Investment by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 252,442 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $4,868,000 after acquiring an additional 39,644 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 28.14% of the company’s stock.

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.