Horizon Technology Finance Co. (NASDAQ:HRZN) Short Interest Up 23.7% in February

Horizon Technology Finance Co. (NASDAQ:HRZN) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 478,400 shares, a growth of 23.7% from the February 13th total of 386,800 shares. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 420,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days.

Horizon Technology Finance Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of Horizon Technology Finance stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $9.26. The stock had a trading volume of 60,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 338,127. Horizon Technology Finance has a 1 year low of $8.46 and a 1 year high of $12.63. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.70. The company has a market capitalization of $373.20 million, a PE ratio of -77.21 and a beta of 1.18.

Horizon Technology Finance (NASDAQ:HRZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The investment management company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $23.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.69 million. Horizon Technology Finance had a positive return on equity of 15.78% and a negative net margin of 3.69%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Horizon Technology Finance will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Horizon Technology Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.26%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 16th. Horizon Technology Finance’s payout ratio is -1,100.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Horizon Technology Finance from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Compass Point upgraded Horizon Technology Finance from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $8.25 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com cut shares of Horizon Technology Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Maxim Group cut their target price on shares of Horizon Technology Finance from $15.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.56.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Horizon Technology Finance

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in shares of Horizon Technology Finance in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Crew Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Horizon Technology Finance in the 4th quarter worth approximately $99,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Horizon Technology Finance during the 3rd quarter valued at $99,000. Mutual Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Horizon Technology Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $106,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Horizon Technology Finance in the third quarter worth $117,000. 4.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Horizon Technology Finance

Horizon Technology Finance Corporation is a business development company specializing in lending and and investing in development-stage investments. It focuses on making secured debt and venture lending investments to venture capital backed companies in the technology, life science, healthcare information and services, cleantech and sustainability industries.