Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) Short Interest Update

Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 680,600 shares, an increase of 14.2% from the May 31st total of 596,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 418,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Barings BDC from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd.

Barings BDC Stock Down 0.4 %

Barings BDC stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $9.69. 106,848 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 464,384. The business has a fifty day moving average of $9.68 and a 200 day moving average of $9.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.91 and a beta of 0.66. Barings BDC has a 12-month low of $7.60 and a 12-month high of $10.27.

Barings BDC (NYSE:BBDC) last posted its earnings results on Saturday, May 4th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.02). Barings BDC had a return on equity of 10.77% and a net margin of 45.35%. The company had revenue of $69.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $72.38 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.25 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Barings BDC will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Barings BDC Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 5th were given a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 5th. Barings BDC’s payout ratio is 84.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michael Freno purchased 27,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $9.73 per share, for a total transaction of $267,575.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 71,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $692,240.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barings BDC

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Barings BDC during the 1st quarter worth about $43,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Barings BDC during the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Barings BDC during the 4th quarter worth about $80,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its position in Barings BDC by 121.0% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 9,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 5,005 shares during the period. Finally, Bouchey Financial Group Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Barings BDC during the 4th quarter valued at about $88,000. 44.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Barings BDC Company Profile

Barings BDC, Inc is a publicly traded, externally managed investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. It seeks to invest primarily in senior secured loans, first lien debt, unitranche, second lien debt, subordinated debt, equity co-investments and senior secured private debt investments in private middle-market companies that operate across a wide range of industries.