Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (NYSE:BXSL) Stock Breaks Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (NYSE:BXSL) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $24.11 and traded as high as $24.24. Blackstone Secured Lending Fund shares last traded at $24.1270, with a volume of 2,782,678 shares trading hands.

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone Secured Lending Fund this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings were $0.68 per share, above estimates of $0.66–$0.67. Management said results were supported by BXSL’s mostly first-lien, floating-rate portfolio and generally growing borrower earnings. Third-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: BXSL reported a 10.7% annualized yield on net asset value. Its ongoing refinancing of approximately $3.2 billion in notes is also a factor investors may monitor. Dividend reset and refinancing
• Negative Sentiment: The fund set its Q1 2027 dividend at $0.60 per share, down 22.1% from $0.77. That reduces the annualized payout to $2.40, weighing on the stock’s appeal to income investors. Dividend reduction analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, EPS fell from $0.82 a year earlier, while revenue of $315.18 million came in slightly below analyst expectations. Q3 earnings report

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BXSL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund in a research report on Monday, October 26th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Citizens Jmp began coverage on shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund in a report on Monday, October 26th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund from $24.50 to $25.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.89.

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund Stock Up 0.9%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.11. The firm has a market cap of $5.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.11 and a beta of 0.39.

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (NYSE:BXSL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.02. Blackstone Secured Lending Fund had a return on equity of 11.44% and a net margin of 21.03%. The business had revenue of $315.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $317.81 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Blackstone Secured Lending Fund will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is a drop from Blackstone Secured Lending Fund’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.9%. Blackstone Secured Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is presently 256.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blackstone Secured Lending Fund

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BXSL. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC purchased a new position in Blackstone Secured Lending Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its position in shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund by 17.3% in the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 2,216,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,514,000 after purchasing an additional 326,366 shares during the period. AlphaCore Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund by 102.4% in the third quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 557,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,370,000 after purchasing an additional 282,039 shares during the period. Lunate Capital Ltd increased its stake in shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund by 27.9% in the third quarter. Lunate Capital Ltd now owns 1,280,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,699,000 after purchasing an additional 279,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rivernorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund in the first quarter worth $5,787,000. 36.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Blackstone Secured Lending Fund

Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (NYSE: BXSL) is a business development company that invests in privately owned middle-market companies. The fund seeks to generate current income and long-term capital appreciation primarily through investments in senior secured, floating-rate loans.

BXSL’s portfolio may also include second-lien loans, unsecured debt and equity investments. Its investments are generally made in companies across a range of industries, with an emphasis on businesses that have established operations and cash flows.