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

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

American Assets Trust Stock Up 0.4 %

American Assets Trust stock traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $24.81. 269,013 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 293,690. American Assets Trust has a 1 year low of $20.03 and a 1 year high of $29.15. The firm has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.26 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 8.53 and a quick ratio of 8.53. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $26.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.28.

American Assets Trust Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 5th. American Assets Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 147.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of 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 lifted their price target on shares of American Assets Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Assets Trust

In other news, COO Adam Wyll sold 30,238 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 45,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,286,690.90. This trade represents a 39.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 37.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAT. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in American Assets Trust by 292.7% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 411,809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $11,004,000 after acquiring an additional 306,946 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of American Assets Trust by 9.9% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 779,127 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $17,436,000 after buying an additional 69,985 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of American Assets Trust by 433.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 83,181 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,223,000 after purchasing an additional 67,589 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of American Assets Trust by 277.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 80,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,138,000 after purchasing an additional 58,803 shares in the last quarter. 90.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.