American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) Short Interest Update

American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,430,000 shares, a growth of 78.3% from the March 15th total of 801,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 387,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.7 days. Approximately 3.1% of the company's shares are short sold.

American Assets Trust Stock Performance

NYSE AAT traded up $0.17 on Friday, reaching $19.01. The stock had a trading volume of 297,065 shares, compared to its average volume of 303,048. The business's 50-day moving average price is $20.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.30. American Assets Trust has a 12-month low of $16.69 and a 12-month high of $29.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 8.17 and a current ratio of 8.17.

American Assets Trust (NYSE:AAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.41. American Assets Trust had a return on equity of 4.98% and a net margin of 12.40%. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Assets Trust will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

American Assets Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. This is a positive change from American Assets Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.15%. American Assets Trust's payout ratio is currently 152.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Mizuho cut their target price on shares of American Assets Trust from $28.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Assets Trust

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Assets Trust by 142.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 90,078 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,407,000 after purchasing an additional 52,977 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of American Assets Trust by 14.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 584,529 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $15,619,000 after acquiring an additional 72,579 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in American Assets Trust by 110.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 110,220 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,946,000 after purchasing an additional 57,850 shares during the period. Amundi increased its position in American Assets Trust by 40.4% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 50,464 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 14,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in American Assets Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $1,703,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.43% of the company's stock.

About American Assets Trust

American Assets Trust, Inc is a full service, vertically integrated and self-administered real estate investment trust ("REIT"), headquartered in San Diego, California. The company has over 55 years of experience in acquiring, improving, developing and managing premier office, retail, and residential properties throughout the United States in some of the nation's most dynamic, high-barrier-to-entry markets primarily in Southern California, Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Texas and Hawaii.