The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ:CG) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

The Carlyle Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CG) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 5,626,232 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 119% from the previous session’s volume of 2,568,202 shares.The stock last traded at $34.57 and had previously closed at $35.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CG. Evercore ISI raised their price target on The Carlyle Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on The Carlyle Group from $57.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Oppenheimer downgraded The Carlyle Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of The Carlyle Group from $48.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of The Carlyle Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.71.

The Carlyle Group Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $12.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a current ratio of 2.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $43.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.00.

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ:CG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The financial services provider reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by ($0.08). The Carlyle Group had a return on equity of 24.02% and a net margin of 18.81%. On average, research analysts predict that The Carlyle Group Inc. will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

The Carlyle Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. The Carlyle Group’s payout ratio is 50.36%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Carlyle Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. National Pension Service acquired a new stake in The Carlyle Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Carlyle Group by 5,100.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 572 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Carlyle Group by 149.3% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 546 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Carlyle Group by 253.1% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. 55.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Carlyle Group Company Profile

The Carlyle Group Inc is an investment firm specializing in direct and fund of fund investments. Within direct investments, it specializes in management-led/ Leveraged buyouts, privatizations, divestitures, strategic minority equity investments, structured credit, global distressed and corporate opportunities, small and middle market, equity private placements, consolidations and buildups, senior debt, mezzanine and leveraged finance, and venture and growth capital financings, seed/startup, early venture, emerging growth, turnaround, mid venture, late venture, PIPES.