Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF) Downgraded to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on BCSF. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Bain Capital Specialty Finance from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Capital One Financial set a $13.00 price target on Bain Capital Specialty Finance in a research report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded Bain Capital Specialty Finance from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $15.00 to $13.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $13.00 price target on Bain Capital Specialty Finance in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bain Capital Specialty Finance currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $12.75.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE BCSF opened at $12.09 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 7.20, a current ratio of 7.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The business’s 50 day moving average is $12.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.86. Bain Capital Specialty Finance has a 52-week low of $11.82 and a 52-week high of $15.84. The firm has a market cap of $784.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.58.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $47.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $64.44 million. Bain Capital Specialty Finance had a return on equity of 10.40% and a net margin of 24.22%. Research analysts predict that Bain Capital Specialty Finance will post 1.64 EPS for the current year.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Bain Capital Specialty Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 169.70%.

Institutional Trading of Bain Capital Specialty Finance

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCSF. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its stake in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 1.4% during the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 51,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $771,000 after purchasing an additional 723 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 4.0% in the first quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 19,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 1.1% in the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 87,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,097,000 after buying an additional 946 shares in the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 32,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $456,000 after acquiring an additional 962 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 1,193 shares in the last quarter.

About Bain Capital Specialty Finance

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE: BCSF) is a closed-end interval fund organized as a specialty finance company. Since commencing operations in March 2017, the company has focused on originating and acquiring debt and equity investments in middle-market companies. It is structured to offer investors access to private credit and special situations strategies that are typically unavailable through traditional public debt markets.

The firm’s core business activities include direct lending to U.S.