Lument Finance Trust, Inc. (NYSE:LFT) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Lument Finance Trust, Inc. (NYSE:LFT - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 57,500 shares, an increase of 18.1% from the March 15th total of 48,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 107,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company's shares are sold short.

Lument Finance Trust Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of Lument Finance Trust stock traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $2.67. The company had a trading volume of 67,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 109,465. Lument Finance Trust has a 52-week low of $2.22 and a 52-week high of $2.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.39, a quick ratio of 6.29 and a current ratio of 6.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $139.40 million, a P/E ratio of 7.40 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $2.65 and a 200 day moving average of $2.61.

Lument Finance Trust (NYSE:LFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The technology company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.10. Lument Finance Trust had a net margin of 18.19% and a return on equity of 14.41%. The company had revenue of $9.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.89 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Lument Finance Trust will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lument Finance Trust Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.01%. Lument Finance Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lument Finance Trust

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Lument Finance Trust in the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Lument Finance Trust in the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Lument Finance Trust in the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lument Finance Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $87,000. Finally, Barclays PLC purchased a new stake in Lument Finance Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $120,000. 19.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Jones Trading restated a "hold" rating on shares of Lument Finance Trust in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st.

About Lument Finance Trust

Lument Finance Trust, Inc, a real estate investment trust, focuses on investing in, financing, and managing a portfolio of commercial real estate (CRE) debt investments in the United States. The company primarily invests in transitional floating rate CRE mortgage loans on middle market multi-family assets; and other CRE -related investments, including mezzanine loans, preferred equity, commercial mortgage-backed securities, fixed rate loans, construction loans, and other CRE debt instruments.