Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 887,731 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 196% from the previous session’s volume of 299,770 shares.The stock last traded at $20.2610 and had previously closed at $20.58.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $19.50 price objective on shares of Fidus Investment in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidus Investment in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Fidus Investment Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $19.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.78. The firm has a market cap of $769.86 million, a PE ratio of 8.90 and a beta of 0.67.

Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The asset manager reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50. The firm had revenue of $32.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.37 million. Fidus Investment had a net margin of 49.51% and a return on equity of 11.19%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Fidus Investment Corporation will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidus Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Fidus Investment’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidus Investment

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Fidus Investment by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 542,315 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,447,000 after purchasing an additional 18,656 shares during the period. Columbus Macro LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Fidus Investment by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 505,567 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,807,000 after buying an additional 19,787 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Fidus Investment by 11.5% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 497,921 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $10,088,000 after buying an additional 51,218 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Fidus Investment by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 439,945 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $8,491,000 after acquiring an additional 64,209 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Fidus Investment by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 252,442 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,868,000 after acquiring an additional 39,644 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.14% of the company’s stock.

Fidus Investment Company Profile

Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ: FDUS) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company (BDC) that provides specialized financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. Operated by Fidus Investment Advisors, LLC, a registered investment adviser, the company is regulated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

The firm focuses on structuring senior secured and unitranche loans, mezzanine debt and equity investments for established businesses across a range of industries.