Barings Bdc (NYSE:BBDC) Shares Up 1.3% – Still a Buy?

Barings Bdc, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) shot up 1.3% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $8.68 and last traded at $8.6750. 518,783 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 20% from the average daily volume of 647,165 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.56.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BBDC shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Barings Bdc from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Lucid Cap Mkts upgraded Barings Bdc to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Barings Bdc from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $9.50.

Barings Bdc Trading Up 1.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $908.36 million, a P/E ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $8.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Barings Bdc (NYSE:BBDC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.25. The company had revenue of $54.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.54 million. Barings Bdc had a net margin of 32.45% and a return on equity of 10.08%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.25 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Barings Bdc, Inc. will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Barings Bdc Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 3rd. Barings Bdc’s payout ratio is 122.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Thomas Mcdonnell bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $8.27 per share, for a total transaction of $82,700.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 26,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $215,020. The trade was a 62.50% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Barings Bdc by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 251,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,142,000 after buying an additional 44,895 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Barings Bdc by 15.0% during the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 34,536 shares of the company’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 4,512 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Barings Bdc during the first quarter valued at about $211,000. Bulldog Investors LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Barings Bdc by 5.5% during the first quarter. Bulldog Investors LLP now owns 334,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 17,597 shares during the period. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Barings Bdc during the first quarter worth about $79,000. 44.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Barings Bdc

Barings BDC Inc (NYSE: BBDC) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company that provides flexible financing solutions to middle-market companies. As an investment vehicle organized under the Investment Company Act of 1940, BBDC seeks to generate both current income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in senior secured loans, second lien loans, mezzanine debt and equity co-investments. The company targets established businesses across a diverse range of industries, including healthcare, industrials, consumer products and business services.

The company is sponsored and managed by Barings LLC, a global investment manager and subsidiary of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual).