Short Interest in Realty Income Co. (NYSE:O) Increases By 40.5%

Realty Income Co. (NYSE:O) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 20,520,000 shares, an increase of 40.5% from the February 13th total of 14,600,000 shares. Approximately 2.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 5,360,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Realty Income Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:O traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $57.03. The company had a trading volume of 3,831,382 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,960,963. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $55.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company has a market capitalization of $50.84 billion, a PE ratio of 54.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.00. Realty Income has a 52 week low of $50.65 and a 52 week high of $64.88.

Realty Income (NYSE:O) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. Realty Income had a net margin of 17.57% and a return on equity of 2.35%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Realty Income will post 4.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Realty Income Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a apr 25 dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.2685 per share. This represents a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Realty Income’s previous apr 25 dividend of $0.27. Realty Income’s dividend payout ratio is presently 327.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Realty Income from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Realty Income from $70.00 to $66.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Realty Income in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Realty Income from $62.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Realty Income from $59.00 to $57.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.04.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Realty Income

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Realty Income in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Realty Income in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Realty Income during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Realty Income in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Realty Income in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 70.81% of the company’s stock.

Realty Income Company Profile

Realty Income, The Monthly Dividend Company, is an S&P 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index. We invest in people and places to deliver dependable monthly dividends that increase over time. The company is structured as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”), and its monthly dividends are supported by the cash flow from over 15,450 real estate properties (including properties acquired in the Spirit merger in January 2024) primarily owned under long-term net lease agreements with commercial clients.