UMH Properties (NYSE:UMH) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• UMH Properties shares reached a new 52-week low of $14.69, reflecting a significant downturn in the company's stock performance.
• Despite the recent low, analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $20.25, indicating potential for recovery.
• The company reported a missed earnings target for the last quarter, posting $0.23 EPS against an estimate of $0.25, alongside a dividend yield of 6.2%.

UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $14.72 and last traded at $14.69, with a volume of 323517 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.93.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UMH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wedbush raised shares of UMH Properties to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of UMH Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UMH Properties currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $20.25.

UMH Properties Price Performance

The firm's fifty day moving average price is $15.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 104.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 8.56, a quick ratio of 8.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

UMH Properties (NYSE:UMH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.02). UMH Properties had a net margin of 12.18% and a return on equity of 5.19%. The firm had revenue of $66.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $66.07 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that UMH Properties, Inc. will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

UMH Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. UMH Properties's dividend payout ratio is presently 642.86%.

Insider Transactions at UMH Properties

In other news, Director William Edward Mitchell sold 75,849 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.32, for a total transaction of $1,237,855.68. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 41,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at $675,125.76. This represents a 64.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Samuel A. Landy sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.25, for a total transaction of $152,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,091,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,642,065.75. The trade was a 0.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 133,149 shares of company stock valued at $2,165,532 over the last 90 days. 8.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UMH Properties

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aberdeen Group plc grew its holdings in shares of UMH Properties by 3.6% in the first quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 19,132 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 668 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in UMH Properties by 2.6% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 26,263 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $491,000 after buying an additional 671 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in UMH Properties by 0.8% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 82,605 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,545,000 after buying an additional 682 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH boosted its stake in UMH Properties by 3.1% during the second quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 24,981 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $419,000 after buying an additional 762 shares during the period. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in UMH Properties by 6.8% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 13,062 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 827 shares during the period. 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.

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