Short Interest in SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) Expands By 23.8%

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 609,038 shares, a growth of 23.8% from the February 26th total of 491,824 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 330,242 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

SLR Investment Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of SLR Investment stock traded up $0.14 during trading on Monday, reaching $14.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 317,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 308,495. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. SLR Investment has a 52-week low of $13.64 and a 52-week high of $17.19. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $14.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.14. The company has a market cap of $766.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.26 and a beta of 0.69.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40. SLR Investment had a net margin of 42.34% and a return on equity of 8.76%. The company had revenue of $54.46 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $54.97 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that SLR Investment will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

SLR Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. SLR Investment’s dividend payout ratio is 96.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SLRC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of SLR Investment from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Compass Point raised shares of SLR Investment from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $16.50 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of SLR Investment from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of SLR Investment from $16.50 to $15.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of SLR Investment in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, SLR Investment currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other SLR Investment news, insider Michael S. Gross purchased 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $13.91 per share, with a total value of $347,750.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 4,014,701 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,844,490.91. The trade was a 0.63% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 8.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLR Investment

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of SLR Investment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in SLR Investment by 1,389.8% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,640 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in SLR Investment by 215.6% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,367 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,617 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in SLR Investment during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in SLR Investment in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. 35.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About SLR Investment

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ: SLRC) is a closed?end, externally managed business development company that provides customized debt and equity financing solutions to middle?market companies. The firm seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in senior secured loans, second lien financings, mezzanine debt and equity co?investments. Its flexible capital approach allows it to structure financing across the capital structure to address a range of sponsor?backed transactions.

SLR Investment Corp.