American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) Short Interest Update

American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) was the target of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 860,700 shares, a growth of 8.3% from the November 30th total of 794,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 240,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

American Assets Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AAT traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $26.26. 174,797 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 278,505. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 8.53 and a current ratio of 8.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.86 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $27.42 and a 200 day moving average of $26.00. American Assets Trust has a 1 year low of $20.03 and a 1 year high of $29.15.

American Assets Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were given a $0.335 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.10%. American Assets Trust’s payout ratio is presently 147.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on AAT. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of American Assets Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on American Assets Trust from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Activity at American Assets Trust

In other news, COO Adam Wyll sold 30,238 shares of American Assets Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.22, for a total value of $853,316.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,595 shares in the company, valued at $1,286,690.90. The trade was a 39.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 37.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in American Assets Trust by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 584,529 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $15,619,000 after purchasing an additional 72,579 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in American Assets Trust by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 32,393 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $866,000 after buying an additional 1,341 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Assets Trust by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,267,222 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,866,000 after acquiring an additional 15,491 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc bought a new position in shares of American Assets Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in American Assets Trust by 110.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 110,220 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,946,000 after acquiring an additional 57,850 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.43% of the company’s stock.

About American Assets Trust

American Assets Trust, Inc is a full service, vertically integrated and self-administered real estate investment trust ("REIT"), headquartered in San Diego, California. The company has over 55 years of experience in acquiring, improving, developing and managing premier office, retail, and residential properties throughout the United States in some of the nation's most dynamic, high-barrier-to-entry markets primarily in Southern California, Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Texas and Hawaii.