Barings BDC (NYSE:BBDC) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Shares of Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $10.85 and last traded at $10.60, with a volume of 57101 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.78.

Barings BDC Trading Down 2.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80 and a beta of 0.69. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $9.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.86.

Barings BDC (NYSE:BBDC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.01). Barings BDC had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 38.54%. The firm had revenue of $70.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $69.35 million. On average, research analysts expect that Barings BDC, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current year.

Barings BDC Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.20%. Barings BDC’s dividend payout ratio is 100.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael James O’connor sold 29,424 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.70, for a total transaction of $285,412.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen R. Byers bought 8,485 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $9.73 per share, for a total transaction of $82,559.05. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 50,001 shares in the company, valued at $486,509.73. The trade was a 20.44 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 14,048 shares of company stock valued at $136,772. Insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barings BDC

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBDC. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Barings BDC in the fourth quarter worth about $80,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new stake in shares of Barings BDC during the fourth quarter worth approximately $135,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Barings BDC by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 17,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,000 after buying an additional 2,333 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Barings BDC by 253.5% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 37,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 26,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Barings BDC by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 47,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $459,000 after acquiring an additional 12,955 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 44.09% of the company’s stock.

About Barings BDC

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.