Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO) Short Interest Update

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,290,000 shares, a decrease of 27.8% from the October 15th total of 3,170,000 shares. Approximately 1.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 658,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. stock traded down $0.37 on Thursday, hitting $38.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 431,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 667,943. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $37.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.95. The company has a market capitalization of $4.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.57. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $30.62 and a 52-week high of $39.83.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.52). Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. had a net margin of 9.03% and a return on equity of 2.22%. The firm had revenue of $165.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $157.20 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.58 earnings per share. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.1025 dividend. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 267.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PECO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Compass Point boosted their price objective on Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $44.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $34.00 to $37.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.43.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. in the second quarter valued at $26,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. in the second quarter worth about $39,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. by 160.2% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 1,290 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. Company Profile

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc (PECO) is one of the nation's largest owners and operators of omni-channel grocery-anchored shopping centers. Founded in 1991, PECO has generated strong results through its vertically-integrated operating platform and national footprint of well-occupied shopping centers.