Short Interest in American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) Drops By 28.7%

American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,020,000 shares, a decline of 28.7% from the March 31st total of 1,430,000 shares. Approximately 2.2% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 419,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days.

American Assets Trust Trading Down 0.7 %

American Assets Trust stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $18.98. The stock had a trading volume of 83,089 shares, compared to its average volume of 311,474. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of 21.33 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 8.17 and a current ratio of 8.17. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $19.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.72. American Assets Trust has a twelve month low of $16.69 and a twelve month high of $29.15.

American Assets Trust (NYSE:AAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.07. American Assets Trust had a net margin of 12.40% and a return on equity of 4.98%. The company had revenue of $108.61 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $112.05 million. Analysts expect that American Assets Trust will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

American Assets Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. American Assets Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 107.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AAT. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on American Assets Trust from $24.00 to $20.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Mizuho decreased their target price 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in American Assets Trust in the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of American Assets Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Assets Trust by 227.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,463 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 1,711 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in American Assets Trust by 62.7% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,827 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in American Assets Trust by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,217 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 1,161 shares in the last quarter. 90.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.