Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HHH) Short Interest Up 15.2% in February

Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HHH) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,242,373 shares, a growth of 15.2% from the February 12th total of 1,947,019 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 521,156 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days. Approximately 7.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 7.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 521,156 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Howard Hughes in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.33.

Howard Hughes Stock Performance

HHH stock traded up $1.26 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $64.62. The stock had a trading volume of 228,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 448,404. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $77.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.49. The firm has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a PE ratio of 30.69 and a beta of 1.25. Howard Hughes has a 52 week low of $61.40 and a 52 week high of $91.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

Howard Hughes (NYSE:HHH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $1.26. The firm had revenue of $624.45 million for the quarter. Howard Hughes had a net margin of 8.40% and a return on equity of 5.54%. Howard Hughes’s revenue for the quarter was down 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Howard Hughes will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Howard Hughes

In other news, Director R Scot Sellers bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $77.94 per share, for a total transaction of $389,700.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 67,517 shares in the company, valued at $5,262,274.98. This trade represents a 8.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Joseph Valane acquired 1,260 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $64.45 per share, with a total value of $81,207.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 29,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,882,520.05. This trade represents a 4.51% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 48.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Howard Hughes by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,613,905 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,513,000 after acquiring an additional 116,873 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Howard Hughes by 0.3% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 747,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,422,000 after acquiring an additional 2,595 shares in the last quarter. Crcm LP boosted its stake in shares of Howard Hughes by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Crcm LP now owns 612,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,886,000 after acquiring an additional 52,126 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Howard Hughes by 0.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 567,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,343,000 after purchasing an additional 2,427 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Howard Hughes by 98.3% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 556,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,757,000 after buying an additional 276,083 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.83% of the company’s stock.

Howard Hughes Company Profile

Howard Hughes Holdings Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate development company in the United States. It operates in four segments: Operating Assets; Master Planned Communities (MPCs); Seaport; and Strategic Developments. The Operating Assets segment consists of developed or acquired retail, office, and multi-family properties along with other retail investments. Its MPCs segment develops, sells, and leases residential and commercial land designated for long-term community development projects in and around Las Vegas, Nevada; Houston, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona.