Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSL) Lowered to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

by · The Cerbat Gem

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSLFree Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on OCSL. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Oaktree Specialty Lending from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Lucid Cap Mkts upgraded Oaktree Specialty Lending to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Oaktree Specialty Lending from $13.50 to $10.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Oaktree Specialty Lending from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oaktree Specialty Lending has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $12.88.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on OCSL

Oaktree Specialty Lending Stock Performance

Shares of OCSL stock opened at $11.07 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $975.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.75 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. Oaktree Specialty Lending has a 52 week low of $10.63 and a 52 week high of $15.85. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.87.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (NASDAQ:OCSLGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.03. Oaktree Specialty Lending had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 9.75%. The firm had revenue of $74.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.72 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Oaktree Specialty Lending will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Oaktree Specialty Lending Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Oaktree Specialty Lending’s payout ratio is currently 444.44%.

Insider Transactions at Oaktree Specialty Lending

In other Oaktree Specialty Lending news, Director Phyllis R. Caldwell bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $10.77 per share, with a total value of $26,925.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $253,095. The trade was a 11.90% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oaktree Specialty Lending

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR boosted its stake in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 10.6% during the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 2,087,981 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,248,000 after buying an additional 199,415 shares during the period. Bruni J V & Co. Co. increased its stake in Oaktree Specialty Lending by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bruni J V & Co. Co. now owns 2,487,019 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,456,000 after acquiring an additional 274,667 shares during the last quarter. Private Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 3,014,163 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,335,000 after acquiring an additional 607,493 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 102.6% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 267,909 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,496,000 after acquiring an additional 135,662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Oaktree Specialty Lending by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,173,257 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $28,361,000 after acquiring an additional 134,557 shares during the last quarter. 36.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Oaktree Specialty Lending

(Get Free Report)

Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (NASDAQ: OCSL) is a closed-end, externally managed specialty finance company structured as a business development company (BDC). Launched in 2014, Oaktree Specialty Lending provides customized debt solutions to U.S. middle-market companies, with a focus on senior secured loans, second-lien financings, mezzanine debt and select equity co-investments. The company’s investment strategy centers on floating-rate instruments designed to offer downside protection and income potential in varying interest rate environments.

The firm’s portfolio spans a diverse array of industries, including healthcare, technology, energy, business services and consumer products.

Further Reading