Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBDC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Golub Capital BDC, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBDC) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.00.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GBDC. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Golub Capital BDC from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Golub Capital BDC from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Golub Capital BDC in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Golub Capital BDC from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Golub Capital BDC in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th.

Golub Capital BDC Price Performance

GBDC stock opened at $13.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.31 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.20. Golub Capital BDC has a 1 year low of $11.77 and a 1 year high of $15.63. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.94.

Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ:GBDC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The investment management company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of ($5.28) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $201.71 million. Golub Capital BDC had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 24.64%.During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Golub Capital BDC will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Golub Capital BDC Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Golub Capital BDC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 171.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Golub Capital BDC

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Golub Capital BDC during the first quarter worth approximately $47,000. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in Golub Capital BDC during the 1st quarter valued at $68,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Golub Capital BDC during the 3rd quarter valued at $77,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Golub Capital BDC by 48.6% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 5,933 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 1,941 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Golub Capital BDC by 104.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,447 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 3,287 shares in the last quarter. 42.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Golub Capital BDC

Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ: GBDC) is a publicly traded business development company specializing in providing debt and equity financing solutions to middle-market companies in the United States. Externally managed by Golub Capital LLC, the firm focuses on building a diversified portfolio of senior secured loans, unitranche facilities and second-lien debt instruments designed to support growth, acquisitions and recapitalizations. As a closed-end investment vehicle, GBDC offers investors direct exposure to private credit strategies within a regulated structure.

The company’s core business activities center on originating and managing bespoke financing arrangements for U.S.