AMREP (NYSE:AXR) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded AMREP to a "Hold" rating, and the stock's consensus rating remains Hold based on two analysts' recommendations.
• AMREP slightly beat Q1 estimates with EPS $0.58 (vs. $0.57) and revenue $14.57M (vs. $14.03M); the company trades at a P/E of 11.36, market cap about $144.7M, and a 1‑year range of $17.61–$29.00.
• Insider buying and heavy institutional ownership: major shareholder James H. Dahl bought 6,124 shares at $21.60 (boosting his stake to 440,698 shares), insiders own 37.2% of the stock and institutions/hedge funds hold roughly 59.85%.

AMREP (NYSE:AXR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

AXR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Freedom Capital downgraded AMREP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AMREP in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

AMREP Price Performance

NYSE:AXR opened at $27.26 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $26.19 and a 200 day moving average of $23.05. The company has a market capitalization of $144.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 1.23. AMREP has a 1-year low of $17.61 and a 1-year high of $29.00.

AMREP (NYSE:AXR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The business services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $14.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.03 million. AMREP had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 24.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder James H. Dahl purchased 6,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $21.60 per share, with a total value of $132,278.40. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 440,698 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,519,076.80. This trade represents a 1.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 29,742 shares of company stock valued at $731,280. 37.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMREP

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AXR. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of AMREP by 65.0% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,650 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 650 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AMREP during the first quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of AMREP by 781.7% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,795 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 2,478 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of AMREP by 42.1% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 10,394 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $208,000 after buying an additional 3,077 shares during the period. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AMREP during the third quarter valued at approximately $453,000. 59.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AMREP

AMREP Corporation NYSE: AXR is a Denver-area based company specializing in land development and natural resource management. Since its founding in 1961, AMREP has built a diversified platform that spans real estate operations and resource extraction, serving both individual and institutional clients in the western United States.

Through its real estate segment, AMREP Southwest Inc acquires, develops and markets residential lots in planned communities across New Mexico and Colorado. Notable projects include the Tanoan Country Club and adjacent residential neighborhoods near Albuquerque, where the company employs a direct-to-consumer marketing model to reach out-of-state and local buyers.

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