VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE:VICI) Short Interest Up 18.7% in February

VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE:VICI) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 28,855,576 shares, an increase of 18.7% from the February 12th total of 24,314,043 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 10,175,514 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 10,175,514 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days.

VICI Properties Price Performance

Shares of VICI stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $28.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,527,927 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,144,810. VICI Properties has a fifty-two week low of $27.48 and a fifty-two week high of $34.01. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.84. The company has a quick ratio of 3.17, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market capitalization of $30.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.79, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.67.

VICI Properties (NYSE:VICI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.03). VICI Properties had a net margin of 69.28% and a return on equity of 10.02%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. VICI Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.420-2.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that VICI Properties will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

VICI Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. VICI Properties’s payout ratio is currently 68.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VICI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank downgraded shares of VICI Properties from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $36.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on VICI Properties from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Evercore restated an “in-line” rating and set a $32.00 price objective (down from $36.00) on shares of VICI Properties in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $32.00 price objective (down from $36.00) on shares of VICI Properties in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $33.00 target price on VICI Properties in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, VICI Properties has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $33.69.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of VICI Properties in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in VICI Properties in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in VICI Properties in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in VICI Properties during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in VICI Properties during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 97.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About VICI Properties

VICI Properties (NYSE: VICI) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in experiential real estate, with a primary focus on gaming, hospitality and entertainment assets. The company acquires, owns and manages a portfolio of destination properties and leases those assets to operators under long-term agreements, generating rental income and partnering on property development and capital projects. VICI was formed in connection with the restructuring of Caesars Entertainment and has since grown through acquisitions and strategic transactions to expand its footprint in the gaming and leisure sector.

The company’s portfolio is concentrated in major U.S.