Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT) Short Interest Up 28.7% in February

Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,840,000 shares, a growth of 28.7% from the January 31st total of 1,430,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 783,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Camden Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CPT traded down $3.40 during trading on Thursday, reaching $121.02. The company had a trading volume of 230,980 shares, compared to its average volume of 873,547. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $116.16 and its 200 day moving average is $119.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.92 billion, a PE ratio of 80.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.94. Camden Property Trust has a twelve month low of $94.75 and a twelve month high of $127.69.

Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.05. Camden Property Trust had a return on equity of 3.35% and a net margin of 10.58%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Camden Property Trust will post 6.76 EPS for the current year.

Camden Property Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is a positive change from Camden Property Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Camden Property Trust’s payout ratio is presently 280.00%.

Insider Transactions at Camden Property Trust

In other Camden Property Trust news, Director Heather J. Brunner sold 1,853 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.50, for a total transaction of $212,168.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,537 shares in the company, valued at $1,206,486.50. This represents a 14.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Richard J. Campo sold 7,324 shares of Camden Property Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.50, for a total value of $838,598.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 300,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,365,457.50. The trade was a 2.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,413 shares of company stock valued at $2,895,718. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Camden Property Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its stake in shares of Camden Property Trust by 547.1% in the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 11,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,337,000 after purchasing an additional 9,744 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Camden Property Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $10,661,000. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in shares of Camden Property Trust by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 57,073 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,623,000 after buying an additional 4,404 shares in the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Camden Property Trust during the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its stake in shares of Camden Property Trust by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 10,262 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. 97.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Camden Property Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Camden Property Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $129.00 to $128.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Camden Property Trust from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays increased their price target on Camden Property Trust from $126.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Camden Property Trust from $127.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.53.

About Camden Property Trust

Camden Property Trust, an S&P 500 Company, is a real estate company primarily engaged in the ownership, management, development, redevelopment, acquisition, and construction of multifamily apartment communities. Camden owns and operates 172 properties containing 58,250 apartment homes across the United States.