Great Ajax Corp. (NYSE:AJX) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Great Ajax Corp. (NYSE:AJX) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 220,600 shares, a decrease of 10.1% from the July 15th total of 245,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 117,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Institutional Trading of Great Ajax

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AJX. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new position in Great Ajax in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,501,000. EMG Holdings L.P. boosted its position in shares of Great Ajax by 608.3% during the fourth quarter. EMG Holdings L.P. now owns 1,940,649 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,285,000 after acquiring an additional 1,666,666 shares during the last quarter. Cannell Capital LLC purchased a new position in Great Ajax during the fourth quarter valued at $1,716,000. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Great Ajax by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 737,194 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,907,000 after acquiring an additional 119,283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Great Ajax by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,217,207 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,625,000 after purchasing an additional 114,046 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.60% of the company’s stock.

Great Ajax Price Performance

Shares of AJX stock traded down $0.14 on Monday, hitting $3.39. 51,034 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 137,470. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.89. Great Ajax has a 52 week low of $3.11 and a 52 week high of $6.81. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.78. The firm has a market cap of $134.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.86 and a beta of 1.88.

Great Ajax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.08%. Great Ajax’s payout ratio is -5.96%.

Great Ajax Company Profile

Great Ajax Corp. operates as a mortgage real estate investment trust. It acquires re-performing and non-performing loans; acquires or originates small balance commercial mortgage loans that are secured by multi-family residential and commercial mixed use retail/residential properties; and invests in single-family and smaller commercial properties.