Short Interest in American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) Expands By 8.3%

American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 860,700 shares, an increase of 8.3% from the November 30th total of 794,500 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 240,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

American Assets Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AAT traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $26.26. 174,797 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 278,505. American Assets Trust has a twelve month low of $20.03 and a twelve month high of $29.15. The firm has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.86 and a beta of 1.30. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $27.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 8.53 and a quick ratio of 8.53.

American Assets Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were paid a $0.335 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.10%. American Assets Trust's payout ratio is 147.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Assets Trust news, COO Adam Wyll sold 30,238 shares of American Assets Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.22, for a total transaction of $853,316.36. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,595 shares in the company, valued at $1,286,690.90. The trade was a 39.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 37.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Assets Trust

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of American Assets Trust during the second quarter valued at approximately $802,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in American Assets Trust by 130.3% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in American Assets Trust in the second quarter worth approximately $475,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Assets Trust by 376.8% in the second quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 41,485 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $928,000 after buying an additional 32,784 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Custom Index Systems LLC lifted its position in shares of American Assets Trust by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Custom Index Systems LLC now owns 10,697 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.43% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of American Assets Trust from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on American Assets Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th.

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.