Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) has received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the six analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.50.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SAR. B. Riley Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Saratoga Investment from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Saratoga Investment from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut Saratoga Investment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research downgraded Saratoga Investment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Saratoga Investment from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Saratoga Investment Price Performance

NYSE SAR traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $18.15. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 305,388 shares, compared to its average volume of 152,602. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a current ratio of 0.09. The company’s 50-day moving average is $22.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.60. Saratoga Investment has a fifty-two week low of $17.34 and a fifty-two week high of $25.64. The stock has a market cap of $296.04 million, a PE ratio of 18.15 and a beta of 0.54.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.07). Saratoga Investment had a return on equity of 8.76% and a net margin of 12.70%.The business had revenue of ($12.15) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 million. Analysts forecast that Saratoga Investment will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

Saratoga Investment Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 16.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Saratoga Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 300.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of Saratoga Investment during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Saratoga Investment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.09% of the company’s stock.

Saratoga Investment Company Profile

Saratoga Investment Corp. is a closed-end, externally managed investment company that seeks to generate current income and total return through a diversified portfolio of private U.S. companies. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SAR, the firm primarily targets middle-market businesses across a broad range of industries, including industrials, healthcare, consumer products, financial services and technology. Its investment approach combines debt and equity instruments, providing flexible capital solutions such as first-lien and second-lien secured loans, mezzanine debt, preferred equity and common equity positions.

As an actively managed vehicle, Saratoga Investment works closely with portfolio companies’ management teams to support growth initiatives, operational improvements, and strategic transactions.