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

American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 742,100 shares, a decline of 13.8% from the December 15th total of 860,700 shares. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 251,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Adam Wyll sold 30,238 shares of American Assets Trust stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.22, for a total transaction of $853,316.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 45,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,286,690.90. This trade represents a 39.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 37.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $11,004,000 after buying an additional 306,946 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in American Assets Trust by 14.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 584,529 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $15,619,000 after acquiring an additional 72,579 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of American Assets Trust by 9.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 779,127 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $17,436,000 after purchasing an additional 69,985 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of American Assets Trust by 433.5% during the third 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 boosted its stake in shares of American Assets Trust by 277.1% in the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 80,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,138,000 after purchasing an additional 58,803 shares during the period. 90.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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 report on Wednesday, October 30th. Mizuho increased their price target on American Assets Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

American Assets Trust Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of AAT traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $24.81. The stock had a trading volume of 269,013 shares, compared to its average volume of 293,690. American Assets Trust has a 12-month low of $20.03 and a 12-month 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 quick ratio of 8.53 and a current ratio of 8.53. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.28.

American Assets Trust Dividend Announcement

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

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.