UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,200,000 shares, an increase of 28.9% from the November 30th total of 931,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 426,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days.

UMH Properties Trading Down 1.1 %

UMH opened at $18.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 8.48 and a current ratio of 8.48. UMH Properties has a one year low of $14.09 and a one year high of $20.64. The company has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 144.16, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 1.29. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.52.

UMH Properties (NYSE:UMH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.13). UMH Properties had a net margin of 11.81% and a return on equity of 6.06%. The business had revenue of $60.67 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $61.57 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that UMH Properties will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UMH Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $0.215 dividend. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. UMH Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 661.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of UMH Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Samuel A. Landy sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total transaction of $977,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,104,826 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,599,348.30. The trade was a 4.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Angela D. Pruitt sold 2,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.26, for a total value of $53,928.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,993 shares in the company, valued at $153,945.18. This represents a 25.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 53,845 shares of company stock valued at $1,051,210 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 8.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UMH Properties

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UMH Properties during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its position in shares of UMH Properties by 2,760.0% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 2,431 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 2,346 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in UMH Properties by 261.1% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,477 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 1,791 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in UMH Properties by 36.8% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,596 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 698 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in UMH Properties by 904.5% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,797 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 3,419 shares during the period. 75.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UMH Properties Company Profile

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.