SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC) Short Interest Up 60.9% in March

SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:SLRC - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 343,200 shares, an increase of 60.9% from the February 28th total of 213,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 176,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days. Approximately 0.6% of the company's stock are sold short.

SLR Investment Stock Performance

NASDAQ SLRC traded down $0.21 on Wednesday, reaching $16.71. The stock had a trading volume of 58,226 shares, compared to its average volume of 172,119. The business's 50-day moving average price is $17.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.34. SLR Investment has a 12-month low of $14.41 and a 12-month high of $17.94. The stock has a market cap of $911.70 million, a P/E ratio of 9.44 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06.

SLR Investment (NASDAQ:SLRC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.01. SLR Investment had a net margin of 40.89% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The company had revenue of $55.58 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.08 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that SLR Investment will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

SLR Investment Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.81%. SLR Investment's payout ratio is 93.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SLR Investment by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 105,566 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 4,990 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SLR Investment in the 4th quarter worth $210,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in shares of SLR Investment by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 382,076 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,174,000 after acquiring an additional 36,100 shares in the last quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of SLR Investment by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,372,550 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $70,660,000 after acquiring an additional 33,951 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in SLR Investment by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 22,434 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 3,354 shares in the last quarter. 35.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on SLR Investment from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Compass Point boosted their target price on shares of SLR Investment from $16.50 to $17.25 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $15.85.

SLR Investment Company Profile

SLR Investment Corp. is a business development company specializing in secured debt (first lien unitranche and second lien), subordinated (unsecured) debt, minority equity, leveraged buyouts, acquisitions, recapitalizations, general refinancing, growth capital and strategic income-oriented control equity investments in leveraged middle market companies.