NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:NREF) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 45% in March to 530,688 shares (about 6.5% of shares outstanding), producing a days-to-cover ratio of 8.1.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 (annualized $2.00), representing a 15.5% yield with a payout ratio of ~69% (ex-dividend March 13, payable March 31).
• NexPoint reported Q4 EPS of $0.48 in line with estimates and revenue of $33.84M above consensus, set Q1 2026 guidance of $0.31–0.36, but analyst sentiment is mixed-to-negative (average rating "Reduce" and $14.50 consensus target).

NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:NREF - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 530,688 shares, a growth of 45.0% from the February 26th total of 365,955 shares. Currently, 6.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 65,425 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.1 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NexPoint Real Estate Finance

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NREF. Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in NexPoint Real Estate Finance by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. now owns 9,439,635 shares of the company's stock valued at $132,910,000 after purchasing an additional 852,271 shares during the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. increased its position in NexPoint Real Estate Finance by 200.2% in the 3rd quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. now owns 113,834 shares of the company's stock worth $1,614,000 after purchasing an additional 75,918 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in NexPoint Real Estate Finance by 42.0% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 157,700 shares of the company's stock worth $2,220,000 after purchasing an additional 46,679 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 96,697 shares of the company's stock worth $1,361,000 after purchasing an additional 29,291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance during the 4th quarter worth about $316,000. 67.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance Stock Down 3.6%

NexPoint Real Estate Finance stock traded down $0.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $12.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 56,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 67,091. NexPoint Real Estate Finance has a 52-week low of $12.14 and a 52-week high of $16.80. The company has a market cap of $228.59 million, a PE ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 175.70 and a quick ratio of 175.70. The firm's 50 day moving average is $14.40 and its 200 day moving average is $14.20.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance (NYSE:NREF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48. The company had revenue of $33.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.64 million. NexPoint Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 122.60%.NexPoint Real Estate Finance has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.310-0.360 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that NexPoint Real Estate Finance will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current year.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.5%. NexPoint Real Estate Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on NexPoint Real Estate Finance from $14.50 to $14.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded NexPoint Real Estate Finance from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $14.50.

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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