Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. (NYSE:AHH) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. (NYSE:AHH - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,270,000 shares, an increase of 22.0% from the February 28th total of 1,860,000 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 959,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of Armada Hoffler Properties from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

Armada Hoffler Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AHH traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $6.50. The company had a trading volume of 952,315 shares, compared to its average volume of 656,888. The stock has a market cap of $658.28 million, a P/E ratio of 20.29 and a beta of 0.89. The company's 50 day moving average price is $8.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.02. The company has a current ratio of 8.81, a quick ratio of 7.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. Armada Hoffler Properties has a 52-week low of $6.40 and a 52-week high of $12.46.

Armada Hoffler Properties (NYSE:AHH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.21. Armada Hoffler Properties had a net margin of 5.99% and a return on equity of 5.96%. The firm had revenue of $62.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $66.67 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Armada Hoffler Properties will post 1.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Armada Hoffler Properties Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 26th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 26th. Armada Hoffler Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 175.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Armada Hoffler Properties

In other news, Director A Russell Kirk purchased 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $7.70 per share, with a total value of $77,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 69,430 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $534,611. This trade represents a 16.83 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 90,000 shares of company stock worth $692,700. Corporate insiders own 11.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Armada Hoffler Properties

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Armada Hoffler Properties by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,516,800 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $97,357,000 after acquiring an additional 829,392 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Armada Hoffler Properties by 6.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,337,275 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $25,313,000 after purchasing an additional 140,964 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Armada Hoffler Properties by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,105,812 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $21,542,000 after purchasing an additional 173,149 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Armada Hoffler Properties by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,035,178 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $20,824,000 after purchasing an additional 269,367 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Armada Hoffler Properties by 118.4% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 1,315,020 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $13,453,000 after purchasing an additional 713,010 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.35% of the company's stock.

Armada Hoffler Properties Company Profile

Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc (the "Company") is a vertically integrated, self-managed real estate investment trust ("REIT") with over four decades of experience developing, building, acquiring, and managing high-quality retail, office, and multifamily properties located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States.