Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Saratoga Investment Corp (NYSE:SAR) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $23.6250.

Several brokerages have commented on SAR. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Saratoga Investment to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Saratoga Investment in a report on Friday, October 10th. B. Riley reduced their price objective on Saratoga Investment from $23.50 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Zacks Research upgraded Saratoga Investment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saratoga Investment in a research report on Monday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lido Advisors LLC raised its position in Saratoga Investment by 6.2% in the third quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 197,873 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,826,000 after acquiring an additional 11,620 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Saratoga Investment by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 158,286 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,861,000 after purchasing an additional 7,006 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Saratoga Investment by 9.8% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 115,641 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,820,000 after buying an additional 10,356 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Saratoga Investment by 1.1% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 94,950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,352,000 after buying an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in Saratoga Investment by 1.6% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 88,665 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,246,000 after buying an additional 1,361 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.09% of the company’s stock.

Saratoga Investment Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Saratoga Investment stock opened at $23.06 on Wednesday. Saratoga Investment has a 52-week low of $21.10 and a 52-week high of $26.17. The company has a 50 day moving average of $22.56 and a 200 day moving average of $23.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market capitalization of $371.19 million, a P/E ratio of 9.85 and a beta of 0.54.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $22.03 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.39 million. Saratoga Investment had a return on equity of 10.09% and a net margin of 27.19%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Saratoga Investment will post 3.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Saratoga Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.0%. Saratoga Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 128.21%.

About Saratoga Investment

Saratoga Investment Corp. is a closed-end, externally managed investment company that seeks to generate current income and total return through a diversified portfolio of private U.S. companies. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SAR, the firm primarily targets middle-market businesses across a broad range of industries, including industrials, healthcare, consumer products, financial services and technology. Its investment approach combines debt and equity instruments, providing flexible capital solutions such as first-lien and second-lien secured loans, mezzanine debt, preferred equity and common equity positions.

As an actively managed vehicle, Saratoga Investment works closely with portfolio companies’ management teams to support growth initiatives, operational improvements, and strategic transactions.