Short Interest in American Healthcare REIT, Inc. (NYSE:AHR) Drops By 16.9%

American Healthcare REIT, Inc. (NYSE:AHR) saw a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,370,000 shares, a decrease of 16.9% from the February 28th total of 7,670,000 shares. Currently, 4.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,850,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days.

American Healthcare REIT Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AHR traded down $0.29 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $30.50. 1,046,993 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,719,873. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -63.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.42. American Healthcare REIT has a 12 month low of $12.81 and a 12 month high of $31.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $29.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.73.

American Healthcare REIT Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. American Healthcare REIT’s dividend payout ratio is currently -370.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AHR shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on American Healthcare REIT from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of American Healthcare REIT from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. JMP Securities set a $35.00 price objective on shares of American Healthcare REIT in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Healthcare REIT in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of American Healthcare REIT in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.33.

Institutional Trading of American Healthcare REIT

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AHR. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of American Healthcare REIT by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $955,000 after buying an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Healthcare REIT by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of American Healthcare REIT by 104.1% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 988 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in American Healthcare REIT by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 13,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in American Healthcare REIT by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 16.68% of the company’s stock.

About American Healthcare REIT

Formed by the successful merger of Griffin-American Healthcare REIT III and Griffin-American Healthcare REIT IV, as well as the acquisition of the business and operations of American Healthcare Investors, American Healthcare REIT is one of the larger healthcare-focused real estate investment trusts globally with assets totaling approximately $4.2 billion in gross investment value.