Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $11.50 and last traded at $11.54, with a volume of 75948 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.63.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCSF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Bain Capital Specialty Finance from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Capital One Financial set a $13.00 price objective on Bain Capital Specialty Finance in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Bain Capital Specialty Finance from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $15.00 to $13.00 in a report on Monday, August 17th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $13.00 price target on shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Bain Capital Specialty Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $12.75.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Stock Down 0.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 7.20 and a current ratio of 7.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $752.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $12.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.73.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.02. Bain Capital Specialty Finance had a return on equity of 10.40% and a net margin of 24.22%.The firm had revenue of $47.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $64.44 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. will post 1.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Bain Capital Specialty Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 169.70%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. North Ground Capital lifted its holdings in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 258.0% in the fourth quarter. North Ground Capital now owns 626,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,715,000 after purchasing an additional 451,514 shares in the last quarter. Closed End Fund Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,881,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 263.5% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 511,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,283,000 after purchasing an additional 370,507 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 310.0% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 489,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,976,000 after acquiring an additional 370,156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alpine Global Management LLC increased its position in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 232.2% during the 4th quarter. Alpine Global Management LLC now owns 307,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,279,000 after purchasing an additional 215,031 shares in the last quarter.

About Bain Capital Specialty Finance

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE: BCSF) is a closed-end interval fund organized as a specialty finance company. Since commencing operations in March 2017, the company has focused on originating and acquiring debt and equity investments in middle-market companies. It is structured to offer investors access to private credit and special situations strategies that are typically unavailable through traditional public debt markets.

The firm’s core business activities include direct lending to U.S.