Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR – Get Rating) saw a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,500,000 shares, a growth of 59.9% from the February 13th total of 938,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 614,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days.
WSR stock traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $12.96. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 260,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 659,114. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The company has a market capitalization of $636.50 million, a PE ratio of 49.85 and a beta of 1.20. Whitestone REIT has a 12 month low of $7.56 and a 12 month high of $13.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.21.
Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.16). Whitestone REIT had a return on equity of 2.73% and a net margin of 9.61%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.24 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Whitestone REIT will post 0.89 earnings per share for the current year.
The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.04 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 1st. Whitestone REIT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 165.39%.
Several analysts have commented on the stock. B. Riley boosted their target price on shares of Whitestone REIT from $10.50 to $13.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 3rd. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Whitestone REIT from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday.
Whitestone REIT Company Profile
Whitestone REIT engages in the operation of commercial properties in culturally diverse markets of major metropolitan areas. The company was founded on August 20, 1998 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.