Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) Upgraded at B. Riley Financial

B. Riley Financial upgraded shares of Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $13.00 price objective on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in a report on Monday, December 8th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Carlyle Secured Lending from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Carlyle Secured Lending from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Carlyle Secured Lending in a report on Monday, December 8th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Carlyle Secured Lending currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.60.

Carlyle Secured Lending Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CGBD opened at $11.12 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $566.68 million, a PE ratio of 10.90 and a beta of 0.70. Carlyle Secured Lending has a fifty-two week low of $10.87 and a fifty-two week high of $17.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Carlyle Secured Lending (NASDAQ:CGBD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $66.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.26 million. Carlyle Secured Lending had a net margin of 27.38% and a return on equity of 8.56%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Carlyle Secured Lending will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carlyle Secured Lending Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Carlyle Secured Lending’s dividend payout ratio is presently 156.86%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carlyle Secured Lending

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cascade Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the second quarter valued at approximately $600,000. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Carlyle Secured Lending by 38.4% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 459,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,291,000 after buying an additional 127,681 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in Carlyle Secured Lending by 58.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 418,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,231,000 after buying an additional 154,355 shares during the last quarter. Cliffwater LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the 2nd quarter worth $7,505,000. Finally, North Ground Capital purchased a new stake in shares of Carlyle Secured Lending in the third quarter valued at about $5,952,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.51% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Carlyle Secured Lending

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a new joint venture and a $300 million share‑repurchase program alongside record loan originations — this materially reduces share count risk and signals management confidence, which can support the stock. Carlyle Secured Lending outlines new joint venture and $300M share repurchase program amid record originations
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley upgraded CGBD to Buy after the Q4 release — analyst upgrades can attract demand and improve sentiment in the near term. Carlyle Secured Lending raised to Buy at B. Riley Securities after Q4 earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target from $14 to $13 but retained an “Overweight” rating — the cut reduces potential upside but the overweight stance remains supportive. Wells Fargo lowers price target to $13 but keeps overweight
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus broker rating sits at “Hold” — mixed analyst views suggest no clear near‑term directional consensus. Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGBD) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results showed a slight miss: EPS $0.33 vs. $0.38 expected and revenue ~$66.9M vs. $67.3M expected; the report coincided with the stock hitting a new 52‑week low — these fundamentals and the low signal near‑term downside pressure. Carlyle Secured Lending Inc (CGBD) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Investment Fundings …
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose significantly in February (reported ~1,134,054 shares as of Feb. 13, a ~28.7% increase), representing ~2.2% of shares outstanding and a ~1.8 days‑to‑cover — rising shorts can amplify downside pressure on weak news days.

About Carlyle Secured Lending

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc (NASDAQ: CGBD) is a closed-end, non-diversified business development company that provides customized debt financing solutions to middle-market companies. Chartered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the company invests primarily in floating-rate senior secured loans, including first-lien, unitranche and one-stop structures. Its objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation through disciplined credit selection and active portfolio management.

The firm focuses on U.S.