American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE:AMH) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE:AMH) saw a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 9,910,207 shares, an increase of 28.5% from the February 12th total of 7,712,209 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,061,489 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Currently, 2.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 2.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,061,489 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AMH. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of American Homes 4 Rent from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Homes 4 Rent from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of American Homes 4 Rent from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of American Homes 4 Rent from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on American Homes 4 Rent from $40.00 to $39.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 9th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.53.

American Homes 4 Rent Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AMH traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $28.37. 3,493,481 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,080,788. American Homes 4 Rent has a one year low of $28.21 and a one year high of $39.49. The company’s 50 day moving average is $30.84 and its 200 day moving average is $31.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.17, a P/E/G ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.80.

American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE:AMH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.14). American Homes 4 Rent had a return on equity of 5.93% and a net margin of 24.48%.The firm had revenue of $402.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $459.24 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Homes 4 Rent has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.890-1.950 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that American Homes 4 Rent will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

American Homes 4 Rent Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from American Homes 4 Rent’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. American Homes 4 Rent’s dividend payout ratio is currently 111.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Goldberg purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $29.30 per share, for a total transaction of $58,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 36,723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,075,983.90. The trade was a 5.76% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Douglas N. Benham acquired 1,200 shares of American Homes 4 Rent stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $24.20 per share, with a total value of $29,040.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 44,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,151.40. The trade was a 2.76% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 6,771 shares of company stock valued at $183,684 in the last three months. Company insiders own 6.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of American Homes 4 Rent by 67.6% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 125,412 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,170,000 after purchasing an additional 50,587 shares during the period. 12th Street Asset Management Company LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Homes 4 Rent by 64.3% in the third quarter. 12th Street Asset Management Company LLC now owns 158,081 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,256,000 after buying an additional 61,838 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its stake in shares of American Homes 4 Rent by 13.3% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 910,363 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,270,000 after buying an additional 106,550 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in American Homes 4 Rent by 24.0% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 2,506,317 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $83,335,000 after buying an additional 485,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in American Homes 4 Rent by 0.6% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,715,728 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,486,798,000 after acquiring an additional 246,713 shares during the period. 91.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About American Homes 4 Rent

American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the acquisition, development and management of single-family rental homes. Since its initial public offering in April 2013, the company has focused on building a large-scale, professionally managed portfolio of homes designed to meet the needs of today’s renters. Its business model emphasizes the acquisition of well-located properties coupled with consistent, in-house property management to drive occupancy and long-term value.

As of the most recent reporting, American Homes 4 Rent owns and operates tens of thousands of homes across the United States, with concentration in key Sun Belt and high-growth markets.