Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) Declares Monthly Dividend of $0.25

Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) declared a monthly dividend on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 7th will be given a dividend of 0.25 per share by the financial services provider on Thursday, April 23rd. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 13.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 7th.

Saratoga Investment has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years. Saratoga Investment has a payout ratio of 90.4% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings tumble. Equities research analysts expect Saratoga Investment to earn $2.98 per share next year, which means the company may not be able to cover its $3.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 100.7%.

Saratoga Investment Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SAR traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $22.50. 107,217 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 139,242. The company’s 50 day moving average is $23.24 and its 200 day moving average is $23.22. Saratoga Investment has a one year low of $21.10 and a one year high of $25.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.25 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $364.12 million, a PE ratio of 9.22 and a beta of 0.55.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $23.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.35 million. Saratoga Investment had a net margin of 30.61% and a return on equity of 9.19%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Saratoga Investment will post 3.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saratoga Investment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in Saratoga Investment in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Saratoga Investment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in Saratoga Investment during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Saratoga Investment in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Saratoga Investment in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 19.09% of the company’s stock.

About Saratoga Investment

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.