Muzinich & Co. Inc. Buys 147,301 Shares of Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. $CGBD

Muzinich & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) by 41.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 499,918 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 147,301 shares during the period. Carlyle Secured Lending comprises 2.4% of Muzinich & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Muzinich & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending were worth $6,249,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the first quarter worth $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Carlyle Secured Lending by 71.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 1,011.6% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,313 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 3,925 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending during the second quarter worth about $97,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending by 42.9% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 2,934 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Carlyle Secured Lending news, Director John G. Nestor sold 7,085 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.87, for a total transaction of $84,098.95. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $89,119.96. This trade represents a 48.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on CGBD. B. Riley lowered their price target on Carlyle Secured Lending from $14.50 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Citigroup began coverage on Carlyle Secured Lending in a report on Monday, December 8th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Carlyle Secured Lending from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a research report on Monday, December 8th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Carlyle Secured Lending has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.33.

Carlyle Secured Lending Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:CGBD opened at $12.65 on Tuesday. Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. has a one year low of $11.55 and a one year high of $18.64. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $644.64 million, a P/E ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.01). Carlyle Secured Lending had a net margin of 30.18% and a return on equity of 9.24%. The business had revenue of $66.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $69.61 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.6%. Carlyle Secured Lending’s payout ratio is presently 135.59%.

About Carlyle Secured Lending

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.