First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FR) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest fell 22.8% in April to 3,423,164 shares (about 2.6% of shares), leaving a days-to-cover ratio of 4.7.
• First Industrial raised its quarterly dividend to $0.50 (annualized $2.00), a 3.2% yield and a payout ratio of about 77.5%.
• The REIT missed quarterly EPS estimates ($0.59 vs. $0.76) though revenue rose 7.3% year-over-year; management set FY2026 guidance of 3.090–3.190 EPS with analysts’ consensus at ~3.17 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" (avg. target $63.57).

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FR - Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,423,164 shares, a decline of 22.8% from the March 31st total of 4,431,476 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 734,971 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.7 days. Currently, 2.6% of the shares of the company are short sold.

First Industrial Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of FR traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $61.69. The company had a trading volume of 58,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,034,494. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. First Industrial Realty Trust has a 12-month low of $46.51 and a 12-month high of $64.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.48. The company has a market capitalization of $8.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.91 and a beta of 1.11.

First Industrial Realty Trust (NYSE:FR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.17). First Industrial Realty Trust had a return on equity of 12.36% and a net margin of 45.98%.The company had revenue of $188.41 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $186.20 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.71 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. First Industrial Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.090-3.190 EPS. Research analysts expect that First Industrial Realty Trust will post 3.17 earnings per share for the current year.

First Industrial Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from First Industrial Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Industrial Realty Trust's payout ratio is currently 77.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Industrial Realty Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position in First Industrial Realty Trust by 1.9% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 9,550 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $492,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of First Industrial Realty Trust by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,463 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in First Industrial Realty Trust by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 41,416 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,132,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in First Industrial Realty Trust by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,670 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in First Industrial Realty Trust by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,994 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. 99.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on FR shares. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of First Industrial Realty Trust from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of First Industrial Realty Trust from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised First Industrial Realty Trust from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised First Industrial Realty Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, iA Financial set a $67.00 price target on First Industrial Realty Trust in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, First Industrial Realty Trust has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.57.

About First Industrial Realty Trust

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc NYSE: FR is a publicly traded real estate investment trust focused on the ownership, operation and development of industrial real estate assets. The company specializes in light industrial, warehouse and distribution facilities that serve a broad range of end markets, including manufacturing, transportation and e-commerce. Through both acquisitions and ground-up developments, First Industrial seeks to assemble a diversified portfolio of strategically located properties that support its tenants' supply-chain needs.

Core services provided by First Industrial include property leasing, asset management, redevelopment of obsolescent buildings and build-to-suit development for creditworthy users.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.