AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MITT) Short Interest Down 24.8% in January

AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MITT) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 285,420 shares, a decline of 24.8% from the January 15th total of 379,484 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 185,409 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Based on an average daily volume of 185,409 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citizens Jmp boosted their price objective on AG Mortgage Investment Trust from $8.50 to $9.25 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AG Mortgage Investment Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AG Mortgage Investment Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Jones Trading reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $8.50 price objective on shares of AG Mortgage Investment Trust in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a $9.25 target price on shares of AG Mortgage Investment Trust in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $9.17.

AG Mortgage Investment Trust Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE:MITT traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $8.60. The stock had a trading volume of 310,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 170,802. AG Mortgage Investment Trust has a twelve month low of $5.63 and a twelve month high of $9.27. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.95. The company has a market capitalization of $272.81 million, a PE ratio of 9.24 and a beta of 1.69.

AG Mortgage Investment Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This is an increase from AG Mortgage Investment Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.7%. AG Mortgage Investment Trust’s payout ratio is presently 98.92%.

Institutional Trading of AG Mortgage Investment Trust

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Angelo Gordon & CO. L.P. increased its holdings in shares of AG Mortgage Investment Trust by 703.3% in the 3rd quarter. Angelo Gordon & CO. L.P. now owns 2,315,966 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $16,768,000 after acquiring an additional 2,027,676 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in AG Mortgage Investment Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,128,000. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in AG Mortgage Investment Trust by 30.4% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 255,724 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,931,000 after purchasing an additional 59,631 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in AG Mortgage Investment Trust by 23.6% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 291,580 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,201,000 after purchasing an additional 55,635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AG Mortgage Investment Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $421,000. 27.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AG Mortgage Investment Trust

AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc is a publicly traded, closed-end management investment company that primarily focuses on investing in U.S. residential mortgage assets. The firm seeks to generate current income for its shareholders by acquiring a diversified portfolio of mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities. As an externally managed mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT), AG Mortgage Investment Trust aims to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns through active portfolio management and interest rate hedging strategies.

The company’s investment portfolio is concentrated in adjustable-rate residential mortgage loans, including so-called “jumbo” prime ARMs, as well as Agency and non-Agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS).