Michael Gross Buys 10,452 Shares of SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) Stock

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) insider Michael Gross bought 10,452 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $13.90 per share, for a total transaction of $145,282.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 4,025,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,949,626.70. This represents a 0.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

SLR Investment Price Performance

Shares of SLRC opened at $14.28 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $14.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. SLR Investment Corp. has a 12-month low of $13.64 and a 12-month high of $17.26.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40. SLR Investment had a return on equity of 8.76% and a net margin of 42.34%.The company had revenue of $54.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.97 million. On average, analysts predict that SLR Investment Corp. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

SLR Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. SLR Investment’s dividend payout ratio is presently 96.47%.

Institutional Trading of SLR Investment

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SLR Investment by 61.0% during the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 175,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,826,000 after acquiring an additional 66,342 shares during the period. Muzinich & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of SLR Investment by 45.4% in the 3rd quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 389,013 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,948,000 after purchasing an additional 121,432 shares during the last quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of SLR Investment in the 2nd quarter worth about $405,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of SLR Investment in the 2nd quarter worth about $326,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of SLR Investment by 58.1% during the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 59,519 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $961,000 after purchasing an additional 21,870 shares in the last quarter. 35.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on SLRC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of SLR Investment from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of SLR Investment from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Raymond James Financial set a $16.00 price objective on shares of SLR Investment and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of SLR Investment in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Compass Point raised shares of SLR Investment from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $16.50 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.50.

SLR Investment Company Profile

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ: SLRC) is a closed‐end, externally managed business development company that provides customized debt and equity financing solutions to middle‐market companies. The firm seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in senior secured loans, second lien financings, mezzanine debt and equity co‐investments. Its flexible capital approach allows it to structure financing across the capital structure to address a range of sponsor‐backed transactions.

SLR Investment Corp.