JPMorgan raises PennantPark target to $6.50, keeps neutral stance

Published 14/05/2025, 09:32
JPMorgan raises PennantPark target to $6.50, keeps neutral stance

On Wednesday, JPMorgan analyst Richard Shane adjusted the price target for PennantPark Investment (NYSE:PNNT) upward to $6.50, up from the previous $6.00, while continuing to hold a Neutral rating on the stock. Currently trading at $6.86, PNNT offers a substantial 14% dividend yield and has maintained dividend payments for 19 consecutive years, according to InvestingPro data. Shane’s commentary followed the company’s financial results for the second fiscal quarter of 2025, which revealed a core Net Investment Income (NII) per share of $0.18. This figure was slightly below the $0.19 expected by both JPMorgan and the consensus estimates.

PennantPark Investment reported a quarter-over-quarter decrease of 1.3% in Net Asset Value (NAV) per share to $7.48, which was nonetheless slightly above JPMorgan’s estimate of $7.41. InvestingPro analysis shows the company maintains a ’GOOD’ overall financial health score, with particularly strong marks in profit and price momentum metrics. The minor decline in NAV was attributed to dividends paid out that exceeded the NII by approximately $0.06 per share and net realized and unrealized losses totaling $2.0 million.

The company showed an improvement in non-accruals, a measure of non-performing investments, which decreased to 1.6% of investments at cost and 0.4% at fair value. This represented a significant improvement from the previous figures of 4.3% at cost and 1.5% at fair value.

The increase in the price target to $6.50 was justified by the anticipated support to NII from the growth of the PennantPark Senior Loan Fund joint venture and the subsequent dividend income for the Business Development Company (BDC). Shane highlighted that the continued growth in NII and stability or growth of NAV are seen as the primary drivers for PennantPark’s stock performance.

Shane also noted potential strategies for achieving these objectives, including further scaling of the joint venture and the rotation out of non-income producing assets, despite acknowledging the latter as a longstanding challenge for the company. Management is expected to utilize approximately $65 million, or roughly $0.88 per share of undistributed NII, to support the company’s dividend of $0.24 per share. The new price target implies a 9% annualized total return, as per Shane’s analysis. For deeper insights into PNNT’s valuation and growth prospects, including 6 additional ProTips and comprehensive financial metrics, investors can access the detailed Pro Research Report available on InvestingPro.

In other recent news, PennantPark Investment Corporation reported its first-quarter 2025 earnings, revealing an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.18, which was slightly below the forecasted $0.19. The company’s revenue for the quarter was $30.66 million, falling short of the expected $33.13 million. Despite these minor misses, PennantPark’s stock saw a positive movement, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s strategic direction and performance. The company maintained a strong investment portfolio valued at $1.2 billion and invested $177 million in new and existing portfolio companies. Notably, PennantPark plans to rotate out of larger equity positions and anticipates increased M&A activity in 2025. The company continues to focus on capital preservation while monitoring potential recession risks. Analysts from JPMorgan and Truist have discussed the company’s strategic positioning and its focus on sectors such as healthcare and government services, which are less impacted by tariffs. These recent developments indicate PennantPark’s resilience and strategic focus in navigating market conditions.

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