Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc. (NYSE:TSLX) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc. (NYSE:TSLX) by 28.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 327,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 72,133 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Sixth Street Specialty Lending were worth $6,751,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 50,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 3,504 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 6.3% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 24,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $502,000 after purchasing an additional 1,441 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Sixth Street Specialty Lending in the third quarter valued at approximately $708,000. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 49,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,014,000 after buying an additional 11,117 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in Sixth Street Specialty Lending by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 867,286 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,805,000 after buying an additional 9,700 shares during the last quarter. 70.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sixth Street Specialty Lending Price Performance

NYSE:TSLX opened at $21.00 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.50, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc. has a 52 week low of $19.50 and a 52 week high of $22.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $20.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 1.06.

Sixth Street Specialty Lending (NYSE:TSLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.57. The company had revenue of $119.22 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $119.85 million. Sixth Street Specialty Lending had a return on equity of 13.55% and a net margin of 39.05%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc. will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sixth Street Specialty Lending Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a yield of 7.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Sixth Street Specialty Lending’s payout ratio is presently 89.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on TSLX. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Sixth Street Specialty Lending from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Sixth Street Specialty Lending from $23.00 to $21.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Sixth Street Specialty Lending in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

About Sixth Street Specialty Lending

Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc (NYSE: TSLX) is a business development company. The fund provides senior secured loans (first-lien, second-lien, and unitranche), unsecured loans, mezzanine debt, and investments in corporate bonds and equity securities and structured products, non-control structured equity, and common equity with a focus on co-investments for organic growth, acquisitions, market or product expansion, restructuring initiatives, recapitalizations, and refinancing.