Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HHH) Short Interest Up 5.9% in March

Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HHH) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,800,000 shares, an increase of 5.9% from the March 15th total of 1,700,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 270,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.6 days. Approximately 3.6% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Howard Hughes Price Performance

HHH stock traded down $1.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $60.28. 318,957 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 288,186. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.43 and a beta of 1.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $73.35 and its 200 day moving average is $75.14. Howard Hughes has a 12-month low of $59.63 and a 12-month high of $86.72.

Howard Hughes (NYSE:HHH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $335.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $318.32 million. Howard Hughes had a negative net margin of 53.88% and a negative return on equity of 0.62%. On average, research analysts expect that Howard Hughes will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Howard Hughes

In related news, insider Heath Melton sold 1,926 shares of Howard Hughes stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.95, for a total value of $140,501.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 9,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $676,538.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 33.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Howard Hughes

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in Howard Hughes by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 14,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,277,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Howard Hughes by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. now owns 6,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $483,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Howard Hughes by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 23,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,038,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the period. Karpas Strategies LLC increased its position in Howard Hughes by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Karpas Strategies LLC now owns 20,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,720,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV purchased a new position in Howard Hughes during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Howard Hughes from $90.00 to $84.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. TheStreet raised shares of Howard Hughes from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a report on Friday, December 22nd.

About Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes Holdings Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate development company in the United States. It operates in four segments: Operating Assets; Master Planned Communities (MPCs); Seaport; and Strategic Developments. The Operating Assets segment consists of developed or acquired retail, office, and multi-family properties along with other retail investments.