Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 747,600 shares, an increase of 31.9% from the February 28th total of 567,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 521,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Barings BDC Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BBDC traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $9.45. The stock had a trading volume of 278,772 shares, compared to its average volume of 434,669. Barings BDC has a 1 year low of $8.95 and a 1 year high of $10.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $9.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.82. The company has a market capitalization of $996.12 million, a PE ratio of 9.09 and a beta of 0.66.

Barings BDC (NYSE:BBDC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $70.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $69.35 million. Barings BDC had a net margin of 38.54% and a return on equity of 10.94%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Barings BDC will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Barings BDC Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. Barings BDC’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barings BDC

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Barings BDC by 0.4% during the first quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 519,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,959,000 after buying an additional 2,026 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Barings BDC by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 81,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $781,000 after acquiring an additional 8,016 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Barings BDC during the 4th quarter worth approximately $80,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Barings BDC in the 4th quarter worth approximately $135,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Barings BDC by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 17,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 2,333 shares during the last quarter. 44.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Barings BDC Company Profile

Barings BDC, Inc is a publicly traded, externally managed investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. It seeks to invest primarily in senior secured loans, first lien debt, unitranche, second lien debt, subordinated debt, equity co-investments and senior secured private debt investments in private middle-market companies that operate across a wide range of industries.