WhiteHorse Finance (NASDAQ:WHF) CEO Stuart Aronson Acquires 15,000 Shares

WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHF) CEO Stuart Aronson acquired 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $6.41 per share, for a total transaction of $96,150.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 127,000 shares in the company, valued at $814,070. This represents a 13.39% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

WhiteHorse Finance Price Performance

WHF stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $6.36. The stock had a trading volume of 80,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 112,584. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $7.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The company has a market cap of $137.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.51 and a beta of 0.37. WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. has a 52-week low of $6.07 and a 52-week high of $9.66.

WhiteHorse Finance (NASDAQ:WHF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The investment management company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.02). WhiteHorse Finance had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 9.47%. The firm had revenue of $15.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.35 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. will post 1.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WhiteHorse Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.7%. WhiteHorse Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 243.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded WhiteHorse Finance from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $7.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in WhiteHorse Finance during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in WhiteHorse Finance during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. HUB Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in WhiteHorse Finance during the third quarter worth approximately $75,000. Norden Group LLC acquired a new position in WhiteHorse Finance during the fourth quarter worth approximately $76,000. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in WhiteHorse Finance during the second quarter worth approximately $105,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.20% of the company’s stock.

About WhiteHorse Finance

WhiteHorse Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WHF) is a closed-end management investment company organized as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The firm’s primary objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation by making debt and equity investments in privately held middle-market companies. WhiteHorse Finance seeks to partner with established businesses across a range of industries, providing flexible financing solutions designed to support growth initiatives, acquisitions and recapitalizations.

The company’s investment portfolio predominantly comprises senior secured loans, second-lien debt, subordinated debt and select equity interests.