UMH Properties (NYSE:UMH) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of UMH Properties (NYSE:UMH - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Tuesday.

UMH has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Maxim Group decreased their target price on UMH Properties from $22.00 to $20.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of UMH Properties in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UMH Properties presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.00.

UMH Properties Trading Up 1.0%

UMH Properties stock traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $17.20. The stock had a trading volume of 362,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 432,654. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.30. UMH Properties has a 52 week low of $14.73 and a 52 week high of $20.64. The stock has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 132.34, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 8.48 and a quick ratio of 8.48.

UMH Properties (NYSE:UMH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.23. The company had revenue of $61.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $62.82 million. UMH Properties had a return on equity of 6.06% and a net margin of 11.81%. Analysts forecast that UMH Properties will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UMH Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from UMH Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.23%. UMH Properties's payout ratio is currently 750.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UMH Properties news, Director William Edward Mitchell sold 39,974 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.94, for a total value of $677,159.56. Following the sale, the director now owns 115,627 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,958,721.38. This represents a 25.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 8.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of UMH Properties by 101.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 160,406 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,155,000 after purchasing an additional 80,660 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in UMH Properties in the third quarter worth about $4,421,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of UMH Properties by 20.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 410,856 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,082,000 after buying an additional 68,580 shares in the last quarter. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of UMH Properties by 291.5% in the fourth quarter. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,915 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 2,915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of UMH Properties by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 36,228 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $684,000 after buying an additional 10,984 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.40% of the company's stock.

About UMH Properties

UMH Properties, Inc, which was organized in 1968, is a public equity REIT that owns and operates 135 manufactured home communities containing approximately 25,800 developed homesites. These communities are located in New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia.