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Stellus Capital Investment (SCM)
NYSE:SCM
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Stellus Capital (SCM) AI Stock Analysis

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SCM

Stellus Capital

(NYSE:SCM)

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Neutral 60 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:60Neutral
Price Target:
$9.00
▲(28.39% Upside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:08/11/26
The score is held back primarily by weaker financial quality signals (multi-year negative operating/free cash flow and elevated leverage, with inconsistent TTM data). Offsetting this are attractive valuation/income characteristics (high dividend yield and moderate P/E) and a cautiously optimistic earnings-call outlook (stable NII and improved NAV), while technicals are moderately supportive but not yet strong on longer-term trend measures.
Positive Factors
Stable Net Investment Income & Dividend Policy
Consistent core NII ($0.26/share) and management explicitly aligning quarterly dividends with NII creates a durable payout framework. That reduces mismatch risk between earnings and distributions, supporting sustainable yield generation and steady investor returns as portfolio cash income persists.
Negative Factors
Elevated Leverage
Persistently elevated leverage increases sensitivity of net income to credit losses and interest-cost changes. With debt-to-equity materially above conservative levels, balance sheet flexibility is constrained and capital actions or stress losses could erode NAV and limit ability to absorb sustained portfolio volatility.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Stable Net Investment Income & Dividend Policy
Consistent core NII ($0.26/share) and management explicitly aligning quarterly dividends with NII creates a durable payout framework. That reduces mismatch risk between earnings and distributions, supporting sustainable yield generation and steady investor returns as portfolio cash income persists.
Read all positive factors

Stellus Capital (SCM) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Stellus Capital Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description
Stellus Capital Investment Corporation operates as a Business Development Company (BDC), allocating capital to privately-held, mid-sized enterprises. The firm employs various financing structures, including senior secured (first lien), junior secu...
How the Company Makes Money
Stellus Capital makes money primarily through investment income generated by its portfolio of loans and other investments. The main revenue stream is interest income earned on debt investments (such as first-lien and second-lien secured loans), wh...

Stellus Capital Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Aug 10, 2026
(Q2-2026)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Nov 11, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call presents a cautiously optimistic picture: solid and stable core NII ($0.26/share), a sequential NAV increase (+2%), strategic growth catalysts (adviser integration with Ridgepost, third SBIC license, and an active $20M buyback program), and a clear plan to align dividends with NII. Offsetting these positives are manageable but meaningful credit and portfolio-quality challenges — elevated nonaccruals and ~26% of loans below plan — along with recent net portfolio contraction as repayments outpaced new originations. Management emphasizes active remediation of underperformers and improving origination pipeline, suggesting upside over time but with near-term headwinds.
Positive Updates
Stable Quarterly Net Investment Income
GAAP and core net investment income of $0.26 per share in Q2 2026; management set the Q3 dividend to $0.25 per share and expects to be well positioned to earn $0.25 quarterly dividend or more based on current NII trajectory and outlook for short-term rates and spreads.
Negative Updates
Portfolio Size Slightly Declined Sequentially
Investment portfolio fair value decreased from $990 million as of March 31, 2026 to $968 million at quarter end (a decline of ~$22 million, ~2.2% sequentially). Management expects repayments to slightly outpace new fundings for the coming quarter, ending modestly lower than the current level.
Read all updates
Q2-2026 Updates
Negative
Stable Quarterly Net Investment Income
GAAP and core net investment income of $0.26 per share in Q2 2026; management set the Q3 dividend to $0.25 per share and expects to be well positioned to earn $0.25 quarterly dividend or more based on current NII trajectory and outlook for short-term rates and spreads.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Stellus guided that it has set a Q3 dividend of $0.25 per share and expects to be “well positioned” to earn $0.25 per quarter (or more) based on current NII and the outlook for short‑term rates and spreads; the portfolio stood at roughly $960 million across 117 companies and management expects repayments to slightly outpace new fundings, leaving the quarter-end portfolio marginally below that level, though gross originations are expected to pick up toward year‑end and drive net portfolio growth over the next several quarters. Management reiterated capital actions including a $20 million share‑buyback authorization (467,000 shares repurchased for ~ $4 million so far) and the approval of a third SBIC license enabling up to $125 million of equity and access to $250 million of SBA debentures (with the family debenture cap raised from $350 million to $475 million), which it believes could expand the portfolio by up to ~$100 million (≈10% of current fair value) over time; target leverage remains ~1:1 regulatory (~2:1 GAAP), up from today’s sub‑1:1 level as SBIC debentures ramp.

Stellus Capital Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Profitability looks strong in the annual income statements (high net margins), but multi-year negative operating/free cash flow (2021–2025) raises earnings-quality risk. Leverage is elevated (debt-to-equity ~1.6x–2.2x), and TTM figures appear inconsistent versus annual history, reducing confidence in recent trend signals.
Income Statement
63
Positive
Balance Sheet
52
Neutral
Cash Flow
28
Negative
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue79.49M66.96M82.72M53.24M45.42M61.38M
Gross Profit47.60M32.01M51.21M21.23M20.95M42.66M
EBITDA39.66M28.63M47.46M16.01M15.87M37.12M
Net Income29.77M27.05M45.84M17.53M14.49M33.57M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets982.12M1.04B980.90M908.09M898.18M821.26M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments5.14M25.05M20.06M26.13M48.04M44.17M
Total Debt599.42M651.82M593.01M575.83M604.13M518.17M
Total Liabilities615.17M670.07M610.98M588.15M622.41M536.15M
Stockholders Equity366.96M371.18M369.92M319.94M275.78M285.11M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow56.17T-24.45M-28.65M-17.27M-56.29M-76.10M
Operating Cash Flow56.17T-24.45M-28.65M-17.27M-56.29M-76.10M
Investing Cash Flow45.21T0.000.000.000.000.00
Financing Cash Flow-78.60T29.44M22.58M-4.65M60.16M101.80M

Stellus Capital Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price7.01
Price Trends
50DMA
8.09
Positive
100DMA
8.54
Positive
200DMA
9.64
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
0.24
Negative
RSI
62.19
Neutral
STOCH
62.83
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For SCM, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 7.01 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 8.02, below the 50-day MA of 8.09, and below the 200-day MA of 9.64, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of 0.24 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 62.19 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 62.83 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for SCM.

Stellus Capital Risk Analysis

Stellus Capital disclosed 92 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Stellus Capital reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Stellus Capital Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
68
Neutral
$18.00B11.429.92%3.81%9.73%1.22%
67
Neutral
$439.66M9.1910.19%9.39%-38.83%-36.61%
64
Neutral
$223.90M5.5510.97%20.94%12.61%-3.62%
60
Neutral
$244.36M8.508.05%21.11%0.37%-28.29%
60
Neutral
$239.64M36.02<0.01%29.18%138.32%-27.91%
52
Neutral
$360.16M27.111.84%23.83%3.63%
* Financial Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
SCM
Stellus Capital
8.73
-3.99
-31.35%
GLAD
Gladstone Capital
19.66
-4.45
-18.45%
PNNT
Pennantpark Investment
3.76
-2.05
-35.32%
TPVG
TriplePoint Venture Growth
5.49
0.09
1.69%
CION
CION Investment Corp
7.32
-1.52
-17.20%

Stellus Capital Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyM&A TransactionsShareholder Meetings
Stellus Capital Renews Advisory Pact Amid Ownership Change
Neutral
Jun 22, 2026
Stellus Capital Investment Corporation has renewed its long-standing relationship with Stellus Capital Management, LLC by entering into a new investment advisory agreement on June 22, 2026, following stockholder approval on June 16, 2026. The agre...
Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Stellus Capital Stockholders Approve Governance and Advisory Changes
Positive
Jun 17, 2026
Stellus Capital Investment Corporation reported the results of its Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on June 16, 2026, where 15,974,326 of 28,947,255 eligible shares were represented in person or by proxy. Stockholders elected Bruce R. Bilger to...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Aug 11, 2026