Great Ajax Corp. (NYSE:AJX) Short Interest Up 22.3% in October

Great Ajax Corp. (NYSE:AJX) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 180,500 shares, an increase of 22.3% from the October 15th total of 147,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 118,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Ajax

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Great Ajax during the 2nd quarter worth $43,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Great Ajax during the third quarter worth about $62,000. Barclays PLC bought a new position in shares of Great Ajax in the third quarter worth about $81,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Great Ajax by 16.6% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 26,641 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 3,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Great Ajax in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $98,000. 58.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Great Ajax Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AJX traded down $0.02 on Friday, reaching $3.04. 201,558 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 142,677. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. Great Ajax has a twelve month low of $2.98 and a twelve month high of $6.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $3.26 and a 200-day moving average of $3.40. The company has a market capitalization of $138.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.81 and a beta of 1.90.

Great Ajax (NYSE:AJX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.38) by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $12.35 million for the quarter. Great Ajax had a negative return on equity of 8.35% and a negative net margin of 203.61%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.25) EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Great Ajax will post -2.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Great Ajax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.89%. Great Ajax’s payout ratio is -6.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, BTIG Research began coverage on Great Ajax in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company.

About Great Ajax

Great Ajax Corp. operates as a mortgage real estate investment trust. It acquires re-performing and non-performing loans; acquires or originates small balance commercial mortgage loans that are secured by multi-family residential and commercial mixed use retail/residential properties; and invests in single-family and smaller commercial properties.