MQS Management LLC Lowers Stake in Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC)

MQS Management LLC cut its position in shares of Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) by 59.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,206 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,856 shares during the quarter. MQS Management LLC’s holdings in Barings BDC were worth $132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Barings BDC during the first quarter worth about $43,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Barings BDC during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Barings BDC during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $80,000. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd acquired a new position in Barings BDC during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Finally, PFG Investments LLC acquired a new position in Barings BDC during the first quarter valued at approximately $109,000. 44.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Barings BDC Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of BBDC traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $9.98. 219,245 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 448,912. The firm has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.11 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.46. Barings BDC, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.11 and a 12-month high of $10.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Barings BDC (NYSE:BBDC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, May 4th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $69.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $72.38 million. Barings BDC had a net margin of 45.35% and a return on equity of 10.77%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.25 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Barings BDC, Inc. will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barings BDC Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 5th were paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 5th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.42%. Barings BDC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Barings BDC from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michael Freno purchased 27,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $9.73 per share, for a total transaction of $267,575.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 71,145 shares in the company, valued at $692,240.85. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

About Barings BDC

Barings BDC, Inc is a publicly traded, externally managed investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. It seeks to invest primarily in senior secured loans, first lien debt, unitranche, second lien debt, subordinated debt, equity co-investments and senior secured private debt investments in private middle-market companies that operate across a wide range of industries.