Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (NYSE:OHI) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (NYSE:OHI) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 15,040,000 shares, a growth of 31.5% from the January 31st total of 11,440,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,950,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 7.7 days.

Omega Healthcare Investors Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of OHI stock traded down $0.31 on Tuesday, hitting $37.36. 2,046,459 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,640,381. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 7.07 and a current ratio of 7.07. Omega Healthcare Investors has a twelve month low of $29.66 and a twelve month high of $44.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $37.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.53 billion, a PE ratio of 24.10, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.99.

Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE:OHI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.33. Omega Healthcare Investors had a net margin of 38.65% and a return on equity of 9.71%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Omega Healthcare Investors will post 2.86 EPS for the current year.

Omega Healthcare Investors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.17%. Omega Healthcare Investors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 172.90%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Omega Healthcare Investors

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Omega Healthcare Investors by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,426,129 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $261,589,000 after purchasing an additional 192,465 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Omega Healthcare Investors by 0.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,339,753 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $502,228,000 after buying an additional 114,085 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Omega Healthcare Investors by 1.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,191,460 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $48,492,000 after acquiring an additional 19,542 shares during the last quarter. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new stake in shares of Omega Healthcare Investors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,250,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Omega Healthcare Investors by 120.8% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 226,338 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,212,000 after acquiring an additional 123,836 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.25% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on OHI shares. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Omega Healthcare Investors in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Omega Healthcare Investors from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised Omega Healthcare Investors from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $45.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Omega Healthcare Investors from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.67.

Omega Healthcare Investors Company Profile

Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc engages in the provision of financing and capital to the long-term healthcare industry with a particular focus on skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, independent living facilities, rehabilitation and acute care facilities, and medical office buildings.