Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHLR) Short Interest Update

Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHLR) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totaling 141,873 shares, a growth of 82.3% from the April 15th total of 77,827 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 319,396 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days. Currently, 146.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust

In related news, major shareholder Magnetar Financial Llc sold 29,059 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.58, for a total transaction of $74,972.22. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,911.82. This represents a 91.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 48,353 shares of company stock worth $125,258 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 51.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust in the 4th quarter worth $62,000. HRT Financial LP purchased a new stake in Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust in the 2nd quarter worth $80,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 35.28% of the company’s stock.

Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WHLR opened at $1.12 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.16 million, a PE ratio of 0.00 and a beta of 1.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $2.70 and a 200 day moving average of $6.01. Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust has a one year low of $1.03 and a one year high of $904.50.

Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust (NASDAQ:WHLR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $5.97 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $24.01 million during the quarter. Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust had a net margin of 3.26% and a negative return on equity of 25.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WHLR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

About Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust

Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust focused on the acquisition, ownership and management of single-tenant, operationally essential real estate in the United States. The company targets free-standing properties leased to creditworthy tenants under long-term net leases, providing predictable income streams and capital preservation. Its portfolio spans a broad range of retail, service and light industrial properties, with an emphasis on assets where tenants are responsible for property taxes, insurance and maintenance.

The trust’s assets are primarily concentrated in consumer-oriented businesses such as discount retailers, quick-service restaurants and healthcare services, among others.