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 in 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. Based on an average trading volume of 251,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Approximately 1.6% of the company’s stock are sold short.

American Assets Trust Price Performance

Shares of AAT stock traded up $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $24.81. The company had a trading volume of 269,013 shares, compared to its average volume of 293,690. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $26.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.26. American Assets Trust has a 52-week low of $20.03 and a 52-week high of $29.15. The company has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.26 and a beta of 1.31.

American Assets Trust Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho raised their price target on American Assets Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of American Assets Trust from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Activity at American Assets Trust

In other American Assets Trust news, COO Adam Wyll sold 30,238 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,286,690.90. This trade represents a 39.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 37.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Assets Trust

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of American Assets Trust by 34.8% in 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 purchasing an additional 488 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of American Assets Trust by 131.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,163 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 1,228 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in shares of American Assets Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $103,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Assets Trust by 516.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,775 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $154,000 after acquiring an additional 4,838 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan purchased a new position in American Assets Trust in the third quarter worth about $211,000. Institutional investors own 90.43% of the company’s stock.

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.