UMH Properties (NYSE:UMH) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of UMH Properties (NYSE:UMH - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. B. Riley restated a "buy" rating on shares of UMH Properties in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Maxim Group cut their target price on UMH Properties from $22.00 to $20.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

UMH Properties Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of UMH Properties stock traded up $0.31 on Friday, hitting $17.05. The stock had a trading volume of 351,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 432,608. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $17.10 and a 200 day moving average of $18.02. UMH Properties has a twelve month low of $15.00 and a twelve month high of $20.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 8.48 and a current ratio of 8.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 131.17, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.12.

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

UMH Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.225 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.28%. This is an increase from UMH Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. UMH Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 750.00%.

Insider Activity

In other UMH Properties news, CEO Samuel A. Landy sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.11, for a total value of $427,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,165,265 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,937,684.15. The trade was a 2.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director William Edward Mitchell sold 39,974 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.94, for a total value of $677,159.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 115,627 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,958,721.38. The trade was a 25.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 135,826 shares of company stock worth $2,323,564. 8.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UMH Properties

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aberdeen Group plc raised 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 worth $358,000 after buying an additional 668 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of UMH Properties by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 26,263 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $491,000 after purchasing an additional 671 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in UMH Properties by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 82,605 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,545,000 after acquiring an additional 682 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in UMH Properties by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 46,783 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $883,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in UMH Properties by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 22,379 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $418,000 after acquiring an additional 1,007 shares during the period. 75.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.