Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE) Short Interest Up 24.9% in February

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,360,000 shares, a growth of 24.9% from the January 31st total of 2,690,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,350,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Stock Performance

NYSE:ARE traded up $1.78 on Wednesday, hitting $102.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 994,686 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,032,502. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $97.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $108.16. Alexandria Real Estate Equities has a one year low of $93.25 and a one year high of $130.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE:ARE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $1.48. Alexandria Real Estate Equities had a return on equity of 1.43% and a net margin of 10.36%. Research analysts predict that Alexandria Real Estate Equities will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the real estate investment trust to reacquire up to 2.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.32 per share. This represents a $5.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Alexandria Real Estate Equities’s payout ratio is 293.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $135.00 to $112.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $104.00 price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $121.30.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alexandria Real Estate Equities

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 57.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 298 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 514.3% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 301 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. 96.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Company Profile

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc (NYSE: ARE), an S&P 500 company, is a best-in-class, mission-driven life science REIT making a positive and lasting impact on the world. As the pioneer of the life science real estate niche since our founding in 1994, Alexandria is the preeminent and longest-tenured owner, operator, and developer of collaborative life science, agtech, and advanced technology mega campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, including Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle.