Realty Income Co. (NYSE:O) Short Interest Update

Realty Income Co. (NYSE:O) has seen a notable drop in its short interest for February. As of February 15th, the total short interest stood at 14,600,000 shares. This marks a decrease of 21.6% compared to the total of 18,620,000 shares reported on January 31st. With an average daily trading volume of 4,990,000 shares, the current short-interest ratio is estimated at 2.9 days.

Institutional Trading of Realty Income

In recent months, several hedge funds have either increased or decreased their investments in Realty Income shares. Notable activities include a new position bought by Lee Danner & Bass Inc. worth about $28,000, and Hobwood Financial Services Inc. acquiring a stake valued at approximately $29,000. Additionally, Sierra Ocean LLC and Millstone Evans Group LLC made new investments at around $32,000 and $34,000 respectively. Both Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC and another institution also purchased shares valued at approximately $34,000. Currently, institutional investors and hedge funds hold approximately 70.81% of Realty Income's stock.

Realty Income Stock Performance

On Wednesday, Realty Income (NYSE:O) stock increased by 0.7%, reaching a price of $58.16. The trading volume for the day was 5,365,780 shares, which is higher than its average volume of 5,070,082 shares. Over the past year, Realty Income has recorded a low of $50.65 and a high of $64.88. Currently, the company's 50-day moving average price is $54.53, while the 200-day moving average stands at $57.89. Realty Income has a market capitalization of $51.85 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.39, along with a P/E/G ratio of 2.10.

Recent Earnings and Dividend Announcement

Realty Income released its quarterly earnings results on February 24th, reporting an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.05. This was slightly below the consensus estimate of $1.06. Their revenue for the quarter reached $1.34 billion, surpassing analyst expectations of $1.28 billion. The company’s net margin was reported at 17.57%, with a return on equity of 2.35%. Analysts predict Realty Income will achieve an EPS of 4.19 for the current fiscal year.

In addition to their earnings, Realty Income announced a dividend increase. The upcoming dividend of $0.268 will be paid on March 14th to stockholders recorded as of March 3rd. This is an increase from the previous dividend of $0.26, indicating a dividend yield of 5.7%. The company’s dividend payout ratio currently sits at 327.55%.

Analyst Ratings and Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently updated their price targets for Realty Income shares. The Royal Bank of Canada reduced its target from $62.00 to $60.00 while maintaining an "outperform" rating. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Realty Income with a "hold" rating and a $62.00 price target. Additionally, Barclays raised their target from $56.00 to $59.00, giving an "equal weight" rating. On the other hand, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective from $70.00 to $66.50, classifying it as a "buy". UBS Group also revised its target from $72.00 to $71.00 while advising a "buy" rating. Currently, Realty Income holds an average rating of "Hold" with a price target of $62.04 according to MarketBeat data.

Company Overview

Realty Income, known as The Monthly Dividend Company, is a member of the S&P 500 and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index. The company focuses on investing in real estate to provide consistent monthly dividends that increase over time. Realty Income is structured as a real estate investment trust (REIT), backed by revenue from over 15,450 properties, mainly under long-term leases with commercial clients.

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