Short Interest in Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT) Increases By 27.9%

Key Points

• Short interest rose 27.9% in March to 3,230,635 shares (about 3.8% of the stock) with a days-to-cover of 4.1, indicating increased bearish positioning.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $112.43 average price target, and several firms have recently raised targets (e.g., Piper Sandler to $127, Wells Fargo to $120).
• Fundamentals: Q1 EPS missed at $1.48 versus $1.86 expected while revenue grew 7.8%, and the REIT pays a $1.13 quarterly dividend (4.1% yield) with a high payout ratio of 96.79%.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,230,635 shares, an increase of 27.9% from the March 15th total of 2,526,577 shares. Currently, 3.8% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 796,168 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from $111.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from $115.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from $109.50 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.43.

Institutional Trading of Federal Realty Investment Trust

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 1,853.8% during the 4th quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. now owns 254 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 88.7% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 268 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 937.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 332 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 93.86% of the company's stock.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Stock Performance

FRT stock opened at $110.09 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $9.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67. Federal Realty Investment Trust has a 52 week low of $89.99 and a 52 week high of $110.89.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.38). The business had revenue of $336.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.65 million. Federal Realty Investment Trust had a net margin of 32.14% and a return on equity of 13.10%. Federal Realty Investment Trust's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.73 EPS. Federal Realty Investment Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.420-7.520 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Federal Realty Investment Trust will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 1st. Federal Realty Investment Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.79%.

About Federal Realty Investment Trust

Federal Realty Investment Trust NYSE: FRT is a real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership, management, and redevelopment of high-quality retail, restaurant, and mixed-use properties. With a strategic focus on open-air shopping centers and lifestyle-oriented urban destinations, the company partners with leading national and regional retailers to curate environments that blend shopping, dining, entertainment, office, and residential uses. Its asset management capabilities extend from initial site selection and development through ongoing property operations and tenant relations.

Federal Realty's portfolio comprises approximately 100 properties totaling more than 25 million square feet of gross leasable area.

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