American Assets Trust (NYSE:AAT) Trading Down 6.1% – Should You Sell?

American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) dropped 6.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $22.48 and last traded at $22.57. Approximately 22,108 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 275,721 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AAT. Mizuho boosted their price target on American Assets Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of American Assets Trust from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

American Assets Trust Stock Down 0.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 8.53 and a current ratio of 8.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.93 and a beta of 1.30. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $25.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.33.

American Assets Trust (NYSE:AAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.41. American Assets Trust had a return on equity of 5.08% and a net margin of 12.76%. Equities analysts expect that American Assets Trust, Inc. will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Assets Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. This is a positive change from American Assets Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.99%. American Assets Trust’s payout ratio is presently 147.25%.

Insider Activity at American Assets Trust

In other American Assets Trust news, COO Adam Wyll sold 30,238 shares of American Assets Trust stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.22, for a total value of $853,316.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,286,690.90. The trade was a 39.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 37.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Assets Trust

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Assets Trust by 292.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 411,809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $11,004,000 after purchasing an additional 306,946 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in American Assets Trust by 14.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 584,529 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $15,619,000 after buying an additional 72,579 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in American Assets Trust by 433.5% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 83,181 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,223,000 after purchasing an additional 67,589 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Assets Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,703,000. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in American Assets Trust by 277.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 80,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,138,000 after purchasing an additional 58,803 shares in the last quarter. 90.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Assets Trust Company Profile

American Assets Trust, Inc is a full service, vertically integrated and self-administered real estate investment trust ("REIT"), headquartered in San Diego, California. The company has over 55 years of experience in acquiring, improving, developing and managing premier office, retail, and residential properties throughout the United States in some of the nation's most dynamic, high-barrier-to-entry markets primarily in Southern California, Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Texas and Hawaii.