Short Interest in Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) Declines By 37.2%

Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 494,648 shares, a drop of 37.2% from the February 12th total of 788,192 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 816,823 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.6 days. Approximately 0.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 0.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 816,823 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCSF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Bain Capital Specialty Finance from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.00.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE BCSF traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $12.36. The company had a trading volume of 963,589 shares, compared to its average volume of 673,921. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.95. The company has a market capitalization of $801.47 million, a PE ratio of 8.08 and a beta of 0.60. Bain Capital Specialty Finance has a one year low of $12.28 and a one year high of $17.04.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $68.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.48 million. Bain Capital Specialty Finance had a return on equity of 10.74% and a net margin of 36.14%. On average, equities analysts expect that Bain Capital Specialty Finance will post 2.06 EPS for the current year.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This is a boost from Bain Capital Specialty Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. Bain Capital Specialty Finance’s payout ratio is currently 109.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bain Capital Specialty Finance

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 1.4% in the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 51,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $771,000 after acquiring an additional 723 shares during the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 30,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $465,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,143 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 1,193 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 52.5% in the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 43,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $661,000 after purchasing an additional 1,275 shares during the last quarter.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Company Profile

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE: BCSF) is a closed-end interval fund organized as a specialty finance company. Since commencing operations in March 2017, the company has focused on originating and acquiring debt and equity investments in middle-market companies. It is structured to offer investors access to private credit and special situations strategies that are typically unavailable through traditional public debt markets.

The firm’s core business activities include direct lending to U.S.