NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:NREF) Short Interest Down 14.8% in March

Key Points

• Short interest fell 14.8% in March to 452,183 shares (about 5.5% of the stock), leaving a days-to-cover ratio of 5.9.
• Dividend: NexPoint paid a $0.50 quarterly dividend (annualized $2.00) for a yield of 14.2% and a payout ratio near 69%.
• Outlook and analyst view: The company reported $0.48 EPS and set Q1 2026 guidance of $0.310–0.360, but analysts’ consensus is a “Reduce” rating with an average target of $14.00.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:NREF - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 452,183 shares, a decline of 14.8% from the March 15th total of 530,688 shares. Approximately 5.5% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 76,046 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.9 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NexPoint Real Estate Finance

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NREF. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in NexPoint Real Estate Finance during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in NexPoint Real Estate Finance during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in NexPoint Real Estate Finance by 152.6% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,689 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new stake in NexPoint Real Estate Finance during the third quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NexPoint Real Estate Finance during the fourth quarter valued at about $99,000. Institutional investors own 67.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on NREF shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance from $14.50 to $14.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, NexPoint Real Estate Finance has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $14.00.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE NREF traded up $0.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.05. The stock had a trading volume of 29,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,230. NexPoint Real Estate Finance has a 12 month low of $12.36 and a 12 month high of $16.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 173.22 and a quick ratio of 173.22. The company has a market capitalization of $262.46 million, a PE ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $14.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.12.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance (NYSE:NREF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.48. NexPoint Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 122.60% and a return on equity of 15.29%. The firm had revenue of $31.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.64 million. NexPoint Real Estate Finance has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.310-0.360 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that NexPoint Real Estate Finance will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.2%. NexPoint Real Estate Finance's dividend payout ratio is presently 68.97%.

About NexPoint Real Estate Finance

NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on originating, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt investments. The company seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by providing financing solutions across the capital structure for stabilized and transitional properties. Its investments include whole loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity and other structured credit products secured by multifamily, office, industrial, retail and hospitality assets.

Since its initial public offering in March 2021, NexPoint Real Estate Finance has closed numerous transactions with borrowers nationwide, including both institutional sponsors and privately held owners.

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