Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Invests $2.12 Million in American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE:AMH)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE:AMH - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 59,059 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $2,124,000. American Homes 4 Rent makes up approximately 0.8% of Lecap Asset Management Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in American Homes 4 Rent during the first quarter valued at $236,000. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can raised its stake in American Homes 4 Rent by 5.6% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 255,574 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $10,631,000 after buying an additional 13,647 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its stake in American Homes 4 Rent by 5.1% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 15,912 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $637,000 after buying an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in American Homes 4 Rent by 3.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,597,311 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $184,037,000 after buying an additional 134,931 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in American Homes 4 Rent by 16.3% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 244,953 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $9,809,000 after buying an additional 34,401 shares during the last quarter. 91.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Homes 4 Rent Stock Performance

NYSE:AMH traded down $0.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $35.56. 1,488,074 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,107,341. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $35.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.34. American Homes 4 Rent has a one year low of $31.36 and a one year high of $37.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $13.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.70.

American Homes 4 Rent Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a positive change from American Homes 4 Rent's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. American Homes 4 Rent's payout ratio is currently 104.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded American Homes 4 Rent from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $34.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Mizuho boosted their price target on American Homes 4 Rent from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on American Homes 4 Rent in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Citigroup upgraded American Homes 4 Rent from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $37.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price target on American Homes 4 Rent from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $39.67.

Insider Transactions at American Homes 4 Rent

In other news, Director Matthew J. Hart sold 7,263 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.76, for a total value of $266,987.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 41,336 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,519,511.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Bryan Smith sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.77, for a total value of $1,838,500.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 125,580 shares in the company, valued at $4,617,576.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Matthew J. Hart sold 7,263 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.76, for a total value of $266,987.88. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 41,336 shares in the company, valued at $1,519,511.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 60,263 shares of company stock valued at $2,212,078 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 6.32% of the company's stock.

About American Homes 4 Rent

AMH NYSE: AMH is a leading large-scale integrated owner, operator and developer of single-family rental homes. We're an internally managed Maryland real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on acquiring, developing, renovating, leasing and managing homes as rental properties. Our goal is to simplify the experience of leasing a home and deliver peace of mind to households across the country.