UMH Properties (NYSE:UMH) Shares Gap Down - Should You Sell?

UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH - Get Free Report) shares gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $17.77, but opened at $17.24. UMH Properties shares last traded at $17.55, with a volume of 34,781 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded UMH Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Wedbush restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of UMH Properties in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Maxim Group dropped their price objective on UMH Properties from $22.00 to $20.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.00.

UMH Properties Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $17.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 131.39, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.23. The business had revenue of $61.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.82 million. UMH Properties had a return on equity of 6.06% and a net margin of 11.81%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that UMH Properties, Inc. will post 0.93 EPS for the current year.

UMH Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 5.27%. UMH Properties's dividend payout ratio is 750.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UMH Properties

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Swiss National Bank grew its position in UMH Properties by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 146,800 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,772,000 after purchasing an additional 16,200 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in UMH Properties by 101.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 160,406 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,155,000 after acquiring an additional 80,660 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of UMH Properties by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,838,555 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $34,719,000 after purchasing an additional 134,761 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UMH Properties by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,992,420 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $37,617,000 after purchasing an additional 48,480 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 10,984 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.