Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO) Short Interest Down 16.4% in February

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 3,170,000 shares, a drop of 16.4% from the February 13th total of 3,790,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 642,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.9 days. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PECO traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $35.29. 78,643 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 604,373. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $30.62 and a 12 month high of $40.12. The company has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a PE ratio of 70.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.57. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $36.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.34.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.50. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 2.40% and a net margin of 9.48%. On average, analysts anticipate that Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a $0.1025 dividend. This represents a $1.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 246.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV grew its position in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $147,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. by 29.8% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 12,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 2,893 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. by 132.6% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 43,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,651,000 after buying an additional 24,963 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. in the third quarter worth $468,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $877,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on PECO shares. Mizuho cut their price objective on Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from $41.00 to $38.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from $41.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.00.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. Company Profile

Phillips Edison & Co, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the ownership and operation of shopping centers. It also offers an investment management business providing property management and advisory services. Its portfolio consists of well-occupied, grocery-anchored neighborhood and community shopping centers having a mix of national, regional, and local retailers offering necessity-based goods and services.