Great Ajax Corp. (NYSE:AJX) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Great Ajax Corp. (NYSE:AJX) saw a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 147,600 shares, a growth of 13.3% from the September 30th total of 130,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 117,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Great Ajax in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock.

Great Ajax Stock Performance

Shares of AJX stock traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $3.13. The stock had a trading volume of 65,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 133,924. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Great Ajax has a 1-year low of $2.98 and a 1-year high of $6.01. The firm has a market cap of $123.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.78 and a beta of 1.90. The business’s fifty day moving average is $3.29 and its 200-day moving average is $3.44.

Great Ajax (NYSE:AJX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.38) by $0.26. The company had revenue of $12.35 million during the quarter. Great Ajax had a negative net margin of 181.85% and a negative return on equity of 6.68%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.25) earnings per share.

Great Ajax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Great Ajax’s dividend payout ratio is currently -5.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Ajax

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Algert Global LLC purchased a new position in Great Ajax during the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Great Ajax by 16.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 26,641 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Great Ajax in the 2nd quarter valued at $98,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Great Ajax by 321.3% during the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 91,101 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $346,000 after buying an additional 69,477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Great Ajax by 10.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,217,207 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,625,000 after buying an additional 114,046 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.60% of the company’s stock.

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.