Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) Short Interest Up 122.6% in February

Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 788,192 shares, a growth of 122.6% from the January 29th total of 354,013 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 671,356 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 671,356 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Approximately 1.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bain Capital Specialty Finance

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. North Ground Capital raised its holdings in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 258.0% in the 4th quarter. North Ground Capital now owns 626,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,715,000 after acquiring an additional 451,514 shares during the period. Closed End Fund Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,881,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 263.5% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 511,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,283,000 after purchasing an additional 370,507 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 310.0% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 489,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,976,000 after purchasing an additional 370,156 shares during the period. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 1,452,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,696,000 after purchasing an additional 250,844 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on BCSF shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised 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 research note on Friday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.00.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Stock Up 0.1%

BCSF stock traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $12.77. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 101,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 527,296. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $13.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.78. Bain Capital Specialty Finance has a twelve month low of $12.43 and a twelve month high of $19.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $828.25 million, a P/E ratio of 8.86 and a beta of 0.61.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.01. Bain Capital Specialty Finance had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 33.45%.The company had revenue of $68.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.48 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Bain Capital Specialty Finance will post 2.06 EPS for the current year.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.2%. This is an increase from Bain Capital Specialty Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. Bain Capital Specialty Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 116.67%.

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.