Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBDC) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBDC) have been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the five research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.3750.

Several brokerages recently commented on GBDC. Lucid Cap Mkts upgraded Golub Capital BDC to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Capital One Financial set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Golub Capital BDC in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Golub Capital BDC from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Golub Capital BDC from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Golub Capital BDC in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Golub Capital BDC

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Golub Capital BDC by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 63,289 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $859,000 after acquiring an additional 2,951 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its position in Golub Capital BDC by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 345,633 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $4,689,000 after acquiring an additional 14,547 shares during the period. Ares Management LLC grew its holdings in Golub Capital BDC by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Ares Management LLC now owns 2,736,210 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $37,130,000 after purchasing an additional 165,000 shares during the period. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Golub Capital BDC in the 4th quarter worth about $260,000. Finally, Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Golub Capital BDC by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 27,088 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 3,474 shares in the last quarter. 42.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Golub Capital BDC Stock Performance

Shares of Golub Capital BDC stock opened at $12.63 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 0.43. Golub Capital BDC has a twelve month low of $12.28 and a twelve month high of $16.00. The company’s fifty day moving average is $13.50 and its 200 day moving average is $13.96. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ:GBDC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The investment management company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.38. The firm had revenue of $110.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.89 million. Golub Capital BDC had a return on equity of 10.37% and a net margin of 38.57%.During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Golub Capital BDC will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

Golub Capital BDC Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.5%. Golub Capital BDC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 124.80%.

Golub Capital BDC Company Profile

Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ: GBDC) is a publicly traded business development company specializing in providing debt and equity financing solutions to middle-market companies in the United States. Externally managed by Golub Capital LLC, the firm focuses on building a diversified portfolio of senior secured loans, unitranche facilities and second-lien debt instruments designed to support growth, acquisitions and recapitalizations. As a closed-end investment vehicle, GBDC offers investors direct exposure to private credit strategies within a regulated structure.

The company’s core business activities center on originating and managing bespoke financing arrangements for U.S.