Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) Downgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) was downgraded by equities researchers at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports.

Several other research firms have also commented on SAR. Compass Point upgraded shares of Saratoga Investment from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.75 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. B. Riley reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Saratoga Investment in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.94.

Saratoga Investment Trading Up 5.3 %

NYSE SAR opened at $24.83 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $341.24 million, a P/E ratio of 20.52 and a beta of 1.32. Saratoga Investment has a 52-week low of $21.56 and a 52-week high of $27.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $23.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.08. Saratoga Investment had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 14.67%. The company had revenue of $38.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.52 million. Equities research analysts expect that Saratoga Investment will post 3.6 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saratoga Investment

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Saratoga Investment by 8.4% during the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 9,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in Saratoga Investment by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 11,393 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 832 shares during the period. Next Level Private LLC boosted its stake in Saratoga Investment by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Next Level Private LLC now owns 32,535 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $739,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Saratoga Investment by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 9,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of Saratoga Investment by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 22,224 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 1,677 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.09% of the company’s stock.

About Saratoga Investment

Saratoga Investment Corp. is a business development company specializing in leveraged and management buyouts, acquisition financings, growth financings, recapitalization, debt refinancing, and transitional financing transactions at the lower end of middle market companies. It structures its investments as debt and equity by investing through first and second lien loans, mezzanine debt, co-investments, select high yield bonds, senior secured bonds, unsecured bonds, and preferred and common equity.