Short Interest in Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) Decreases By 16.9%

Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 332,530 shares, a decline of 16.9% from the December 31st total of 399,940 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 364,502 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 364,502 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Currently, 0.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 38.8% during the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 52.5% in the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance during the third quarter worth $55,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 352.1% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 3,169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Security National Bank bought a new stake in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $66,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BCSF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $16.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, December 19th. Zacks Research lowered Bain Capital Specialty Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $14.00 target price on Bain Capital Specialty Finance and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.00.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Price Performance

BCSF traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $12.87. The company had a trading volume of 338,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 364,563. Bain Capital Specialty Finance has a twelve month low of $12.49 and a twelve month high of $19.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 1.78. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.41. The company has a market capitalization of $834.86 million, a PE ratio of 8.95 and a beta of 0.60.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. The firm had revenue of $67.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.53 million. Bain Capital Specialty Finance had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 33.45%. Equities research analysts predict that Bain Capital Specialty Finance will post 2.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Bain Capital Specialty Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 116.67%.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Company Profile

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.