LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Cuts Stellus Capital Investment (NYSE:SCM) Price Target to $11.00

Stellus Capital Investment (NYSE:SCM) had its price objective trimmed by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from $12.00 to $11.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the investment management company’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Stellus Capital Investment from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Zacks Research lowered Stellus Capital Investment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.00.

Stellus Capital Investment Stock Performance

Shares of SCM stock opened at $9.11 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $9.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.20. Stellus Capital Investment has a one year low of $8.43 and a one year high of $15.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $263.73 million, a PE ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.04 and a quick ratio of 0.14.

Stellus Capital Investment (NYSE:SCM) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The investment management company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.27. Stellus Capital Investment had a return on equity of 9.69% and a net margin of 23.59%.The business had revenue of $23,292.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.81 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Stellus Capital Investment will post 1.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Stellus Capital Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.1133 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Stellus Capital Investment’s dividend payout ratio is presently 165.85%.

Insider Transactions at Stellus Capital Investment

In other news, CEO Robert T. Ladd bought 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.70 per share, with a total value of $304,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 667,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,811,034.50. This trade represents a 5.53% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bruce R. Bilger bought 45,490 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $8.74 per share, for a total transaction of $397,582.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 228,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,993,200.70. This trade represents a 24.92% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought 87,890 shares of company stock valued at $766,551 over the last ninety days. 3.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stellus Capital Investment

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Stellus Capital Investment by 15.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 27,882 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $390,000 after buying an additional 3,808 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in Stellus Capital Investment during the first quarter worth $157,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Stellus Capital Investment during the second quarter worth $154,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in Stellus Capital Investment during the second quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Group One Trading LLC grew its holdings in Stellus Capital Investment by 112.3% during the second quarter. Group One Trading LLC now owns 11,401 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 6,030 shares in the last quarter. 13.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Stellus Capital Investment

Stellus Capital Investment Corporation (NYSE: SCM) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company that provides debt and equity financing to middle market companies in the United States. As an investment vehicle specializing in private credit, Stellus focuses on originating and structuring senior secured loans, unitranche facilities, mezzanine debt, and equity co-investments tailored to the unique needs of growing businesses. Its flexible capital solutions are designed to support acquisitions, recapitalizations, growth initiatives, and balance sheet refinancings.

Operating under an evergreen structure, Stellus Capital Investment partners with a diverse group of portfolio companies across industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, business services, and specialty finance.