American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) Short Interest Down 13.8% in December

American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 742,100 shares, a decline of 13.8% from the December 15th total of 860,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 251,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 1.6% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on American Assets Trust from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of American Assets Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Assets Trust news, COO Adam Wyll sold 30,238 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.22, for a total transaction of $853,316.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 37.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Assets Trust

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AAT. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of American Assets Trust by 34.8% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,891 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 488 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its stake in American Assets Trust by 131.3% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,163 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,228 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc bought a new position in American Assets Trust during the 3rd quarter worth about $103,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in American Assets Trust by 516.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,775 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 4,838 shares during the period. Finally, NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan bought a new stake in shares of American Assets Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at about $211,000. 90.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Assets Trust Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:AAT traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, reaching $24.81. 269,013 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 293,690. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 8.53 and a quick ratio of 8.53. American Assets Trust has a 12-month low of $20.03 and a 12-month high of $29.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of 27.26 and a beta of 1.31.

American Assets Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $0.335 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.40%. American Assets Trust’s payout ratio is currently 147.25%.

American Assets Trust Company Profile

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.