Great Ajax Corp. (NYSE:AJX) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Great Ajax Corp. (NYSE:AJX) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 180,500 shares, an increase of 22.3% from the October 15th total of 147,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 118,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Great Ajax Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Great Ajax stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $3.04. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 201,558 shares, compared to its average volume of 142,677. The company has a market cap of $138.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.81 and a beta of 1.90. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $3.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.40. Great Ajax has a 52-week low of $2.98 and a 52-week high of $6.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Great Ajax (NYSE:AJX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.38) by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $12.35 million for the quarter. Great Ajax had a negative return on equity of 8.35% and a negative net margin of 203.61%. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.25) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Great Ajax will post -2.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Great Ajax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Great Ajax’s dividend payout ratio is -6.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, BTIG Research began coverage on Great Ajax in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Great Ajax

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Great Ajax by 16.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 26,641 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC bought a new position in shares of Great Ajax in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Great Ajax during the third quarter valued at about $62,000. Barclays PLC bought a new position in shares of Great Ajax in the third quarter worth about $81,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Great Ajax in the 2nd quarter valued at $98,000. 58.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Great Ajax Company Profile

Great Ajax Corp. operates as a mortgage real estate investment trust. It acquires re-performing and non-performing loans; acquires or originates small balance commercial mortgage loans that are secured by multi-family residential and commercial mixed use retail/residential properties; and invests in single-family and smaller commercial properties.