Stellus Capital Investment Co. (NYSE:SCM) Short Interest Update

Stellus Capital Investment Co. (NYSE:SCM) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 67,200 shares, a decline of 47.0% from the February 29th total of 126,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 112,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. B. Riley restated a “sell” rating and issued a $12.50 price target (down from $13.00) on shares of Stellus Capital Investment in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Stellus Capital Investment in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Stellus Capital Investment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th.

Stellus Capital Investment Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:SCM traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $13.24. The company had a trading volume of 61,770 shares, compared to its average volume of 111,511. The stock has a market capitalization of $319.48 million, a P/E ratio of 16.85 and a beta of 1.17. Stellus Capital Investment has a one year low of $12.19 and a one year high of $15.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $13.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

Stellus Capital Investment (NYSE:SCM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The investment management company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.01). Stellus Capital Investment had a return on equity of 14.01% and a net margin of 16.56%. The business had revenue of $28.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.44 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Stellus Capital Investment will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stellus Capital Investment Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th will be paid a $0.1333 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Stellus Capital Investment’s payout ratio is presently 205.13%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of Stellus Capital Investment by 19.0% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 234,291 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $3,186,000 after buying an additional 37,427 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Stellus Capital Investment by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 174,910 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $2,248,000 after acquiring an additional 15,896 shares in the last quarter. Condor Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Stellus Capital Investment by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Condor Capital Management now owns 161,872 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $2,080,000 after acquiring an additional 18,504 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Stellus Capital Investment by 7.1% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 159,368 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $2,245,000 after purchasing an additional 10,626 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in Stellus Capital Investment by 97.2% in the first quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 142,000 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $2,001,000 after purchasing an additional 70,000 shares during the period. 13.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Stellus Capital Investment Company Profile

Stellus Capital Investment Corporation is a business development company specializing in investments in private middle-market companies. It invests through first lien, second lien, unitranche, and mezzanine debt financing, often with a corresponding equity investment. The fund prefers to invest in US and Canada.