Short Interest in UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH) Increases By 28.9%

UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,200,000 shares, a growth of 28.9% from the November 30th total of 931,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 426,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of UMH Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, November 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $21.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UMH Properties news, Director Angela D. Pruitt sold 2,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.26, for a total transaction of $53,928.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $153,945.18. The trade was a 25.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Samuel A. Landy sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total transaction of $977,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,104,826 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,599,348.30. The trade was a 4.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 53,845 shares of company stock worth $1,051,210 over the last three months. Insiders own 8.63% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UMH Properties

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in UMH Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its holdings in shares of UMH Properties by 2,760.0% in the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 2,431 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 2,346 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in UMH Properties by 261.1% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,477 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,791 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in UMH Properties by 36.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,596 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in UMH Properties by 904.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,797 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 3,419 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.40% of the company's stock.

UMH Properties Trading Down 1.1 %

UMH traded down $0.20 during trading on Friday, reaching $18.74. 251,742 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 426,169. UMH Properties has a 12 month low of $14.09 and a 12 month high of $20.64. The company has a quick ratio of 8.48, a current ratio of 8.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock's 50-day moving average is $19.13 and its 200 day moving average is $18.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a PE ratio of 144.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 1.29.

UMH Properties (NYSE:UMH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.13). UMH Properties had a net margin of 11.81% and a return on equity of 6.06%. The firm had revenue of $60.67 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $61.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.22 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that UMH Properties will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

UMH Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. UMH Properties's dividend payout ratio is currently 661.54%.

About UMH Properties

UMH Properties, Inc, which was organized in 1968, is a public equity REIT that owns and operates 135 manufactured home communities containing approximately 25,800 developed homesites. These communities are located in New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia.