Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 589,400 shares, an increase of 5.5% from the November 15th total of 558,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 380,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Barings BDC Price Performance

Shares of Barings BDC stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $9.49. 572,954 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 435,439. The company has a market cap of $1.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.80 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Barings BDC has a fifty-two week low of $8.55 and a fifty-two week high of $10.38. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.87.

Barings BDC (NYSE:BBDC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $70.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.48 million. Barings BDC had a net margin of 39.59% and a return on equity of 11.24%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.31 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Barings BDC will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barings BDC Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 4th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.96%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 4th. Barings BDC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 96.30%.

Insider Transactions at Barings BDC

In related news, insider Michael James O’connor sold 29,424 shares of Barings BDC stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.70, for a total value of $285,412.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen R. Byers acquired 8,485 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $9.73 per share, for a total transaction of $82,559.05. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 50,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $486,509.73. This trade represents a 20.44 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 14,048 shares of company stock valued at $136,772 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barings BDC

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Barings BDC during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. nVerses Capital LLC increased its holdings in Barings BDC by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 3,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in shares of Barings BDC in the second quarter worth $36,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Barings BDC during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $86,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Barings BDC in the 3rd quarter valued at about $99,000. 44.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Barings BDC Company Profile

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.