Short Interest in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO) Expands By 18.3%

Key Points

• Short interest rose 18.3% to 3,971,181 shares as of April 15, representing about 3.4% of the float and a days-to-cover ratio of 4.9.
• Phillips Edison missed quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $0.24 versus $0.67 consensus while revenue of $190.74M beat estimates, and the company set FY2026 guidance of $0.79–$0.81 EPS.
• The company declared a monthly dividend of $0.1083 (ex-dividend May 15, pay June 2) implying a 3.3% yield, though the dividend payout ratio is high at 141.3%.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,971,181 shares, a growth of 18.3% from the March 31st total of 3,355,943 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 804,511 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.9 days. Approximately 3.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its holdings in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. by 55.5% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,053 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. by 2,590.0% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. by 418.1% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,119 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 903 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. by 143.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,140 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 672 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on PECO. Weiss Ratings lowered Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays increased their price objective on Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Mizuho set a $39.00 price objective on Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $40.00.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. Stock Down 1.3%

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. stock opened at $39.84 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.45. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.84 and a 12-month high of $40.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.53.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.43). Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. had a net margin of 15.61% and a return on equity of 4.46%. The business had revenue of $190.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $184.91 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.65 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.790-0.810 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.1083 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 141.30%.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. Company Profile

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in the acquisition, ownership and operation of grocery-anchored, necessity-based shopping centers. The company's investment strategy is centered on properties that benefit from everyday consumer demand, seeking to deliver stable cash flows through long-term, triple-net leases with national and regional tenants in the grocery, drugstore and essential retail sectors.

In addition to its core retail portfolio, Phillips Edison & Company provides integrated services covering property management, asset management, leasing, development and acquisition sourcing.

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