Blue Trust Inc. Raises Stake in Oaktree Specialty Lending Co. (NASDAQ:OCSL)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending Co. (NASDAQ:OCSL - Free Report) by 84.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 47,854 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 21,854 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Oaktree Specialty Lending worth $731,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. PFS Partners LLC boosted its stake in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 601.4% in the 3rd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 1,936 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,660 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending in the fourth quarter worth approximately $68,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending in the fourth quarter worth approximately $93,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $106,000. Finally, EMC Capital Management increased its position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 53.2% during the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 8,714 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 3,026 shares in the last quarter. 36.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ OCSL traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $16.09. 665,844 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 617,838. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $15.50 and a 200 day moving average of $16.04. Oaktree Specialty Lending Co. has a 1 year low of $14.89 and a 1 year high of $20.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.02 and a beta of 1.08.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.54. Oaktree Specialty Lending had a net margin of 14.75% and a return on equity of 12.07%. The business had revenue of $86.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $91.93 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.57 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Oaktree Specialty Lending Co. will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.94%. Oaktree Specialty Lending's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 328.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on OCSL shares. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. JMP Securities downgraded Oaktree Specialty Lending from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Oaktree Specialty Lending from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $15.00 target price (down previously from $17.00) on shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending from $17.00 to $15.50 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oaktree Specialty Lending has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $16.75.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Profile

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation is a business development company. The fund specializing in investments in middle market, bridge financing, first and second lien debt financing, unsecured and mezzanine loan, mezzanine debt, senior and junior secured debt, expansions, sponsor-led acquisitions, preferred equity, and management buyouts in small and mid-sized companies.