Smartstop Self Storage REIT Inc (NYSE:SMA) Short Interest Up 46.8% in March

Key Points

• Short interest rose 46.8% to 4,925,376 shares as of March 31, representing about 9.4% of shares sold short and a days-to-cover ratio of 3.3.
• SmartStop missed Q earnings (EPS $0.05 vs. $0.54 expected) despite revenue rising 29.5% YoY, and issued FY2026 guidance of 1.930–2.050 EPS; analysts remain mixed with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and $37.25 price target.
• The company declared a monthly dividend of $0.1315 (annualized yield ~4.9%), and the stock recently traded near $31.99 with a market cap of about $1.77 billion.

Smartstop Self Storage REIT Inc (NYSE:SMA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,925,376 shares, a growth of 46.8% from the March 15th total of 3,355,791 shares. Approximately 9.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,485,753 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SMA shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Smartstop Self Storage REIT from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Smartstop Self Storage REIT from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Smartstop Self Storage REIT from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Smartstop Self Storage REIT from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Smartstop Self Storage REIT from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $37.25.

Smartstop Self Storage REIT Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of SMA stock traded up $0.19 during trading on Thursday, hitting $31.99. 484,028 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 902,358. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.77 billion and a P/E ratio of -86.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 5.87 and a quick ratio of 5.87. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $32.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.94. Smartstop Self Storage REIT has a 52-week low of $29.42 and a 52-week high of $39.77.

Smartstop Self Storage REIT (NYSE:SMA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The healthcare company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.49). Smartstop Self Storage REIT had a negative net margin of 0.59% and a negative return on equity of 0.16%. The company had revenue of $78.45 million during the quarter. Smartstop Self Storage REIT's quarterly revenue was up 29.5% on a year-over-year basis. Smartstop Self Storage REIT has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.930-2.050 EPS.

Smartstop Self Storage REIT Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be paid a $0.1315 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. Smartstop Self Storage REIT's payout ratio is -440.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Smartstop Self Storage REIT

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SMA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Smartstop Self Storage REIT during the 2nd quarter worth $3,155,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in Smartstop Self Storage REIT in the second quarter valued at $326,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Smartstop Self Storage REIT in the second quarter valued at $377,000. Invesco Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Smartstop Self Storage REIT in the second quarter valued at about $602,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Smartstop Self Storage REIT in the second quarter valued at about $830,000.

Smartstop Self Storage REIT Company Profile

Symmetry Medical Inc (Symmetry) is a medical device solutions company, including surgical instruments, orthopedic implants, and sterilization cases and trays. The Company designs, develops and offers worldwide production and supply chain capabilities for these products to customers in the orthopedic industry, and other medical device markets (including but not limited to arthroscopy, dental, laparoscopy, osteobiologic, and endoscopy segments). It also manufactures specialized non-healthcare products, primarily in the aerospace industry.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.