Short Interest in Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHLR) Rises By 82.3%

Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHLR) was the recipient of a large 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. Approximately 146.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 319,396 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WHLR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust currently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Insider Activity at Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust

In other news, major shareholder Magnetar Financial Llc sold 29,059 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.58, for a total value of $74,972.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 2,679 shares in the company, valued at $6,911.82. This represents a 91.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 48,353 shares of company stock valued at $125,258. Corporate insiders own 51.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. HRT Financial LP bought a new position in shares of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at about $80,000. Institutional investors own 35.28% of the company’s stock.

Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust Stock Performance

Shares of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust stock opened at $1.00 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 million, a P/E ratio of 0.00 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a fifty day moving average of $2.61 and a 200 day moving average of $5.95. Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust has a fifty-two week low of $0.92 and a fifty-two week high of $904.50.

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

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.