An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.
In plain words · Main Street Capital Corporation is a business development company and a small business investment company specializing in direct and indirect investments.
VERDICT
The label
Markup
read at $55.37
Main Street Capital Corporation holds its Markup at $55.37.
PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
edge confirmed
edge broken
edge forming
Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.
INVESTOR
The investor read · the season, not the day
As held on the ledger · 2026-07-19
Phase
Markup
Quantitative state
Elevated stress, defensive posture warranted, held for 11 days
Price
$55.37
Valuation
11.66 trailing · 14.15 forward price to earnings
Values screen
FAIL· score 30.0
Beta
0.73
OPPORTUNITY
The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth
Read at
$55.37
11.66 P/E · 14.15 fwd
Our fair value
$45.17
18% premium
Analyst target (avg)
$53.00
-4% to current
Target low $50.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $60.00
▲ current $55.37 · | average target
Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going
The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street
Current
$55.37
you are here
Conservative
$45.00
-19%
Analyst avg
$53.00
-4%
Our fair value
$45.17
-18%
Analyst high
$60.00
+8%
Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the Street see limited upside at this price.
Revenue growth
2.20%
Profit margin
74.86%
Debt to equity
82.11
Analyst consensus
Hold · 5 covering
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
SCREEN
The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English
This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:
The common standard· AAOIFI Used by most halal investing apps✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard· asset-based The one Titan applies✗ DOES NOT PASS
Why it fails. The problem is its prohibited keyword in sector/industry: financial services. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.
Business activityProhibited keyword in sector/industry: financial servicesFail
Debt loadInterest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows.Fail
Interest-bearing cashInterest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit.Fail
ReceivablesMoney owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit.Fail
Revenue purity of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, over the 5% line.Fail
Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.
PLAIN
The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean
Small business fund trips the ethical line
Main Street Capital funnels capital into lower middle market US companies that banks often overlook. Yet we pass without hesitation because the holding sits in financial services, a sector our screen rules out on principle. The ethical filter exists for exactly these cases, regardless of the underlying loan book.
Numbers paint a picture of modest returns at a premium price. Revenue inches ahead at just 2 percent, profit margins sit high at 75 percent, and ROE reaches 14 percent, yet the shares trade at 14.1 times forward earnings against a fair value 18 percent below the current quote. Analyst consensus calls it a hold with a median target near the present level, offering little margin for error.
High reported margins can mask cyclical credit risk and fee pressure in this corner of asset management. The ethical screen already removes any upside case, so the valuation gap simply reinforces the decision to stay clear. Analysis, not advice.
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
TRADE
Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are
MAIN trades on the NYSE. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
TRADER
The trader read · the latest dated commentary
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are down 5%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (7 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $57. Entered 2026-07-18 · Distribution
JOURNAL
The dated journal · newest first, never edited
2026-07-18Distribution$52.02+0.0%Entry 3
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are down 5%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (7 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $57.
2026-07-03Distribution$52.02+0.0%Entry 2
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Distribution$52.02Entry 1
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
RETURNS
What holding actually paid · price plus dividends
If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
Period
Price then
Price return
Divs per share
$1,000 became
Total return
1 month
$52.04
-0.8%
$0.26
$997
-0.3%
2 months
$52.57
-1.8%
$0.52
$992
-0.8%
3 months
$53.58
-3.7%
$1.08
$983
-1.7%
6 months
$59.97
-13.9%
$2.16
$897
-10.3%
1 year
$54.08
-4.6%
$4.29
$1,034
+3.4%
2 years
$42.04
+22.8%
$8.46
$1,429
+42.9%
3 years
$31.45
+64.1%
$12.37
$2,034
+103.4%
5 years
$28.54
+80.9%
$18.19
$2,446
+144.6%
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
SEALED
This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever MAIN does next, these words stay.
Main Street Capital Corporation · MAIN · Markup · $55.37
Recorded 2026-07-19 · before the outcome · scored mechanically