Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 515,562 shares, an increase of 20.7% from the January 29th total of 427,171 shares. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 151,951 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 151,951 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saratoga Investment

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Saratoga Investment by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,825 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 1,807 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Saratoga Investment by 178.2% in the fourth quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 18,403 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $425,000 after buying an additional 11,787 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Saratoga Investment by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 163,359 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,769,000 after acquiring an additional 5,073 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Saratoga Investment in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Saratoga Investment during the 4th quarter valued at $305,000. 19.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Saratoga Investment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saratoga Investment in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $23.63.

Saratoga Investment Trading Down 0.5%

SAR stock opened at $23.46 on Wednesday. Saratoga Investment has a one year low of $21.10 and a one year high of $25.75. The stock has a market cap of $379.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.25 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $23.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.35 million. Saratoga Investment had a net margin of 30.61% and a return on equity of 9.19%. Equities analysts anticipate that Saratoga Investment will post 3.93 EPS for the current year.

Saratoga Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.8%. Saratoga Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 122.95%.

About Saratoga Investment

Saratoga Investment Corp. is a closed-end, externally managed investment company that seeks to generate current income and total return through a diversified portfolio of private U.S. companies. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SAR, the firm primarily targets middle-market businesses across a broad range of industries, including industrials, healthcare, consumer products, financial services and technology. Its investment approach combines debt and equity instruments, providing flexible capital solutions such as first-lien and second-lien secured loans, mezzanine debt, preferred equity and common equity positions.

As an actively managed vehicle, Saratoga Investment works closely with portfolio companies’ management teams to support growth initiatives, operational improvements, and strategic transactions.