Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) Short Interest Down 20.8% in December

Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE:BCSF) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 399,940 shares, a decrease of 20.8% from the December 15th total of 505,110 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 534,713 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Based on an average daily volume of 534,713 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,492,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,266,000 after acquiring an additional 42,401 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 20.9% in the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 1,452,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,696,000 after purchasing an additional 250,844 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 16.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,306,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,614,000 after purchasing an additional 181,591 shares in the last quarter. Melia Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. Melia Wealth LLC now owns 1,123,229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,006,000 after purchasing an additional 132,497 shares during the period. Finally, Muzinich & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 647,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,227,000 after buying an additional 93,732 shares in the last quarter.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BCSF traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $13.77. 284,414 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 421,162. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $14.02 and a 200 day moving average of $14.54. Bain Capital Specialty Finance has a 1 year low of $13.20 and a 1 year high of $19.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 1.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $893.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.56 and a beta of 0.60.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE:BCSF) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The company had revenue of $67.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.53 million. Bain Capital Specialty Finance had a net margin of 33.45% and a return on equity of 11.03%. On average, analysts forecast that Bain Capital Specialty Finance will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. Bain Capital Specialty Finance’s payout ratio is currently 116.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCSF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Bain Capital Specialty Finance from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $16.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Zacks Research cut shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Bain Capital Specialty Finance and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bain Capital Specialty Finance currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.00.

Bain Capital Specialty Finance Company Profile

Bain Capital Specialty Finance (NYSE: BCSF) is a closed-end interval fund organized as a specialty finance company. Since commencing operations in March 2017, the company has focused on originating and acquiring debt and equity investments in middle-market companies. It is structured to offer investors access to private credit and special situations strategies that are typically unavailable through traditional public debt markets.

The firm’s core business activities include direct lending to U.S.