VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE:VICI) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE:VICI) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 38,990,000 shares, an increase of 49.8% from the January 15th total of 26,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,770,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.8 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on VICI shares. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of VICI Properties from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of VICI Properties from $33.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of VICI Properties in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush cut shares of VICI Properties from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of VICI Properties in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.22.

Institutional Trading of VICI Properties

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VICI. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in VICI Properties in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $419,932,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in VICI Properties by 599.3% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,936,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,685,000 after acquiring an additional 7,658,819 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in VICI Properties by 37.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 12,136,670 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,512,000 after acquiring an additional 3,298,314 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of VICI Properties by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 28,317,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $827,160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,903,744 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of VICI Properties by 367.8% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 2,219,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,744,939 shares during the period. 97.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

VICI Properties Stock Performance

VICI stock opened at $30.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a current ratio of 2.61. The stock has a market cap of $32.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.45. VICI Properties has a 52 week low of $27.08 and a 52 week high of $34.29.

VICI Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were paid a $0.4325 dividend. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.69%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. VICI Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.07%.

VICI Properties Company Profile

VICI Properties Inc is an S&P 500 experiential real estate investment trust that owns one of the largest portfolios of market-leading gaming, hospitality and entertainment destinations, including Caesars Palace Las Vegas, MGM Grand and the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, three of the most iconic entertainment facilities on the Las Vegas Strip.