Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 15,129 Shares of American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT)

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its position in shares of American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT - Free Report) by 21.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,548 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 15,129 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of American Assets Trust worth $1,485,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in shares of American Assets Trust in the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in American Assets Trust by 227.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,463 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 1,711 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in American Assets Trust by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,217 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 1,161 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in American Assets Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at about $217,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of American Assets Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $231,000. 90.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Assets Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:AAT traded up $0.17 on Friday, hitting $19.01. The stock had a trading volume of 297,065 shares, compared to its average volume of 302,705. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $20.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.36. The stock has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.36 and a beta of 1.12. American Assets Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.69 and a 52-week high of $29.15. The company has a quick ratio of 8.17, a current ratio of 8.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80.

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

American Assets Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a $0.34 dividend. This is a boost from American Assets Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.15%. American Assets Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently 152.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

American Assets Trust Company Profile

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.