Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE:GPMT) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE:GPMT) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,030,000 shares, a growth of 13.1% from the August 31st total of 910,900 shares. Approximately 2.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 425,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Granite Point Mortgage Trust

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPMT. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Granite Point Mortgage Trust during the first quarter worth about $43,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Granite Point Mortgage Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. Naviter Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Granite Point Mortgage Trust by 53.6% in the 2nd quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 21,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 7,500 shares in the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Granite Point Mortgage Trust during the 2nd quarter worth $65,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Granite Point Mortgage Trust by 25.5% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 23,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 4,807 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.63% of the company’s stock.

Granite Point Mortgage Trust Price Performance

GPMT stock traded down $0.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $3.19. 385,711 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 440,997. Granite Point Mortgage Trust has a 1 year low of $2.46 and a 1 year high of $6.41. The company has a market cap of $162.80 million, a PE ratio of -1.38 and a beta of 1.78. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $2.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3.39.

Granite Point Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Granite Point Mortgage Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -8.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Granite Point Mortgage Trust from $3.25 to $2.75 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 12th.

About Granite Point Mortgage Trust

Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc, a real estate investment trust, originates, invests in, and manages senior floating-rate commercial mortgage loans, and other debt and debt-like commercial real estate investments in the United States. The company provides intermediate-term bridge or transitional financing for various purposes, including acquisitions, recapitalizations, and refinancing, as well as a range of business plans, including lease-up, renovation, repositioning, and repurposing of the commercial property.