Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:REFI) Short Interest Down 29.7% in January

Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:REFI) saw a large decline in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 477,861 shares, a decline of 29.7% from the December 31st total of 680,117 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 129,762 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 129,762 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of REFI. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance during the first quarter worth $186,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance in the 1st quarter worth approximately $47,000. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 163,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,287,000 after buying an additional 8,400 shares during the period. Fielder Capital Group LLC grew its position in Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance by 2.6% during the second quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 771,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,770,000 after acquiring an additional 19,883 shares during the period. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 70,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $987,000 after acquiring an additional 1,079 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on REFI shares. Zacks Research raised Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.00.

Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

REFI traded up $0.05 during trading on Friday, hitting $12.40. 110,818 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 108,630. Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance has a 1 year low of $11.85 and a 1 year high of $16.27. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.06. The firm has a market cap of $261.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.34 and a beta of 0.22.

Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance (NASDAQ:REFI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $13.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.97 million. Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 11.94% and a net margin of 64.78%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.2%. Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio is 111.24%.

About Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance

Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc (NASDAQ:REFI) is a publicly listed real estate finance company that specializes in originating and acquiring commercial real estate debt. Pursuant to its election to be treated as a real estate investment trust (REIT), REFI’s investment strategy focuses on floating-rate senior mortgage loans secured by income-producing properties across the United States. The company targets stabilized, performing assets in sectors such as multifamily, office, retail and industrial, aiming to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through current income.

Established in 2015 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, REFI completed its initial public offering in 2019.