Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS) saw strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 491,723 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 77% from the previous session’s volume of 277,588 shares.The stock last traded at $19.91 and had previously closed at $19.33.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on FDUS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Fidus Investment from $20.00 to $19.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidus Investment in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Fidus Investment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Fidus Investment Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $18.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.69. The stock has a market cap of $753.95 million, a PE ratio of 8.74 and a beta of 0.67.

Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The asset manager reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.12. Fidus Investment had a net margin of 49.51% and a return on equity of 11.19%. The company had revenue of $37.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.30 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fidus Investment Corporation will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidus Investment Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 414.0%. Fidus Investment’s payout ratio is presently 75.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fidus Investment

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Fidus Investment by 6.7% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 903,443 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $18,304,000 after buying an additional 56,449 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Fidus Investment by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 542,315 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,447,000 after buying an additional 18,656 shares in the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC raised its holdings in Fidus Investment by 4.1% during the first quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 505,567 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,807,000 after acquiring an additional 19,787 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 11.5% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 497,921 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $10,088,000 after acquiring an additional 51,218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 439,945 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,491,000 after acquiring an additional 64,209 shares in the last quarter. 28.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fidus Investment Company Profile

Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ: FDUS) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company (BDC) that provides specialized financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. Operated by Fidus Investment Advisors, LLC, a registered investment adviser, the company is regulated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

The firm focuses on structuring senior secured and unitranche loans, mezzanine debt and equity investments for established businesses across a range of industries.