Saratoga Investment Corp (SAR) – What Are Brokerages Thinking About This Stock?

Shares of Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) have been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the five research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $19.67.

SAR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Saratoga Investment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Saratoga Investment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Compass Point reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Saratoga Investment in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. B. Riley Financial reduced their target price on shares of Saratoga Investment from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Saratoga Investment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th.

Insider Transactions at Saratoga Investment

In other Saratoga Investment news, CEO Christian Oberbeck purchased 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $14.89 per share, for a total transaction of $223,350.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,000 shares in the company, valued at $223,350. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 10.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Saratoga Investment by 20.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 139,364 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,330,000 after buying an additional 23,352 shares during the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. lifted its position in shares of Saratoga Investment by 19.1% in the second quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 25,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 4,042 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Saratoga Investment by 2,243.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 25,027 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after buying an additional 23,959 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Saratoga Investment by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 22,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Saratoga Investment by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 17,950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $393,000 after buying an additional 557 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.09% of the company’s stock.

Saratoga Investment Stock Performance

Saratoga Investment stock opened at $12.97 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.28. Saratoga Investment has a fifty-two week low of $12.72 and a fifty-two week high of $24.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.13. The stock has a market cap of $201.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.88 and a beta of 0.62.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.03). Saratoga Investment had a positive return on equity of 8.66% and a negative net margin of 3.35%. The business had revenue of $31.17 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.46 million. As a group, analysts expect that Saratoga Investment will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Saratoga Investment Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, December 3rd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 23.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 3rd. Saratoga Investment’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,200.00%.

Saratoga Investment Company Profile

Saratoga Investment Corp. (NYSE: SAR) is a closed-end, non-diversified business development company that provides financing to lower middle-market companies in the United States. The company invests primarily in established businesses and seeks to support their growth, acquisitions, recapitalizations, and other strategic initiatives.

Saratoga Investment’s investment portfolio generally includes senior and subordinated debt, unitranche loans, and equity investments. Through its wholly owned Saratoga Investment Advisors subsidiary, the company also manages a Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) subsidiary, allowing it to provide government-supported financing to qualifying small and mid-sized businesses.

The company is based in New York and focuses on U.S.-based businesses across a range of industries.