Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ:FDUS) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 161,888 shares, a growth of 24.7% from the December 15th total of 129,864 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 460,927 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 460,927 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on FDUS shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidus Investment in a report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Fidus Investment from $21.50 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidus Investment

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FDUS. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Fidus Investment by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 72,921 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,407,000 after buying an additional 7,472 shares in the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC increased its position in shares of Fidus Investment by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 485,780 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,376,000 after purchasing an additional 84,320 shares in the last quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Fidus Investment during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. TrueMark Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Fidus Investment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $579,000. Finally, Riverbridge Partners LLC grew its position in Fidus Investment by 73.7% during the 4th quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 101,578 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 43,098 shares during the last quarter. 28.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fidus Investment Price Performance

NASDAQ:FDUS traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $19.91. The stock had a trading volume of 187,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 302,658. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $19.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $725.32 million, a P/E ratio of 8.44 and a beta of 0.73. Fidus Investment has a 1-year low of $16.70 and a 1-year high of $23.55.

Fidus Investment (NASDAQ:FDUS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The asset manager reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.50. Fidus Investment had a net margin of 54.03% and a return on equity of 10.91%. The company had revenue of $37.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.29 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Fidus Investment will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidus Investment Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 19th were paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 19th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.6%. Fidus Investment’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.88%.

About Fidus Investment

Fidus Investment Corporation (NASDAQ: FDUS) is a closed-end, externally managed business development company (BDC) that provides specialized financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. Operated by Fidus Investment Advisors, LLC, a registered investment adviser, the company is regulated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

The firm focuses on structuring senior secured and unitranche loans, mezzanine debt and equity investments for established businesses across a range of industries.