Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) Trading 2.8% Higher – What’s Next?

Great Elm Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:GECC) traded up 2.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $7.10 and last traded at $7.05. 64,010 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 100,130 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.86.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GECC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Great Elm Capital Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Capital One Financial set a $11.00 price target on Great Elm Capital Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Zacks Research lowered Great Elm Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Great Elm Capital Group in a research note on Monday. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott lowered their price target on shares of Great Elm Capital Group from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Great Elm Capital Group currently has an average rating of “Sell” and an average price target of $10.50.

Great Elm Capital Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a current ratio of 0.07. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $7.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.80 million, a PE ratio of -11.96 and a beta of 0.64.

Great Elm Capital Group (NASDAQ:GECC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.04). Great Elm Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 10.97% and a negative net margin of 17.08%.The firm had revenue of $7.58 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.48 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Great Elm Capital Group, Inc. will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Great Elm Capital Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 22.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Great Elm Capital Group’s payout ratio is presently -264.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Matthew D. Kaplan purchased 19,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $7.64 per share, for a total transaction of $150,126.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 142,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,087,936. This represents a 16.01% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Great Elm Capital Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GECC. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of Great Elm Capital Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Great Elm Capital Group by 95.5% in the 3rd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 24,474 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 11,956 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC purchased a new stake in Great Elm Capital Group in the 3rd quarter worth $145,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Great Elm Capital Group during the third quarter valued at about $160,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Great Elm Capital Group during the third quarter valued at about $169,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 38.75% of the company’s stock.

Great Elm Capital Group Company Profile

Great Elm Capital Group, Inc (NASDAQ: GECC) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company (BDC) that seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing in private, middle-market companies. The firm targets senior secured loans, subordinated debt and equity securities of U.S. companies, with a focus on businesses offering stable cash flows and potential for growth. Industry sectors of interest include business services, consumer products, industrials and healthcare, among others.

GECC’s investment strategy emphasizes portfolio diversification and active management.