Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 389,600 shares, a growth of 29.1% from the February 28th total of 301,700 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 229,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSR has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Whitestone REIT in a research report on Friday, March 28th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Whitestone REIT from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Whitestone REIT in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Whitestone REIT Stock Performance

Shares of Whitestone REIT stock traded up $0.02 on Wednesday, reaching $14.64. The stock had a trading volume of 221,596 shares, compared to its average volume of 281,623. Whitestone REIT has a fifty-two week low of $10.77 and a fifty-two week high of $15.36. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $13.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 2.17 and a current ratio of 2.17. The stock has a market cap of $745.10 million, a P/E ratio of 35.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.29.

Whitestone REIT Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.045 per share. This represents a $0.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. Whitestone REIT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.06%.

Whitestone REIT Company Profile

Whitestone REIT (NYSE: WSR) is a community-centered real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, owns, operates, and develops open-air, retail centers located in some of the fastest growing markets in the country: Phoenix, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Our centers are convenience focused: merchandised with a mix of service-oriented tenants providing food (restaurants and grocers), self-care (health and fitness), services (financial and logistics), education and entertainment to the surrounding communities.