Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL) Director Deborah Ann Gero Buys 2,000 Shares

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corp. (NASDAQ:OCSL) Director Deborah Ann Gero purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $10.78 per share, for a total transaction of $21,560.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 24,411 shares in the company, valued at $263,150.58. This represents a 8.92% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Trading Up 0.3%

NASDAQ OCSL traded up $0.03 on Thursday, hitting $11.29. 124,966 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 820,971. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. Oaktree Specialty Lending Corp. has a twelve month low of $10.63 and a twelve month high of $15.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $994.62 million, a P/E ratio of 31.43 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $12.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.90.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $74.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.72 million. Oaktree Specialty Lending had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 9.75%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Oaktree Specialty Lending Corp. will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Oaktree Specialty Lending’s payout ratio is presently 444.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

OCSL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut Oaktree Specialty Lending from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Oaktree Specialty Lending from $13.50 to $10.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Oaktree Specialty Lending from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Lucid Cap Mkts raised Oaktree Specialty Lending to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Oaktree Specialty Lending presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $12.88.

Institutional Trading of Oaktree Specialty Lending

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 34.3% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 468,879 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,201,000 after purchasing an additional 119,775 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending during the 2nd quarter valued at about $48,000. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 53,128 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $726,000 after buying an additional 996 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 10.3% in the second quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 368,923 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,039,000 after buying an additional 34,476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Oaktree Specialty Lending during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.79% of the company’s stock.

About Oaktree Specialty Lending

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (NASDAQ: OCSL) is a closed-end, externally managed specialty finance company structured as a business development company (BDC). Launched in 2014, Oaktree Specialty Lending provides customized debt solutions to U.S. middle-market companies, with a focus on senior secured loans, second-lien financings, mezzanine debt and select equity co-investments. The company’s investment strategy centers on floating-rate instruments designed to offer downside protection and income potential in varying interest rate environments.

The firm’s portfolio spans a diverse array of industries, including healthcare, technology, energy, business services and consumer products.