SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) Short Interest Down 40.4% in December

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 302,059 shares, a decrease of 40.4% from the December 15th total of 506,966 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 273,533 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 273,533 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.1 days.

SLR Investment Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:SLRC traded down $0.19 on Friday, reaching $15.35. 203,769 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 237,636. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. SLR Investment has a 52 week low of $13.64 and a 52 week high of $17.94. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $15.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.73.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $56.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $56.33 million. SLR Investment had a net margin of 41.00% and a return on equity of 8.98%. Analysts expect that SLR Investment will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

SLR Investment Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. SLR Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 99.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLRC has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of SLR Investment from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of SLR Investment in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded SLR Investment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on SLR Investment from $17.00 to $16.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SLR Investment has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.04.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLR Investment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 1,389.8% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,640 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 215.6% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,367 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 1,617 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in SLR Investment during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in SLR Investment during the third quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in SLR Investment during the third quarter valued at $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 35.32% of the company’s stock.

About SLR Investment

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.