Western Asset Mortgage Capital Co. (NYSE:WMC) Short Interest Down 14.9% in May

Western Asset Mortgage Capital Co. (NYSE:WMC – Get Rating) saw a significant drop in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 637,800 shares, a drop of 14.9% from the April 30th total of 749,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 373,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Western Asset Mortgage Capital stock opened at $1.26 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.08 million, a PE ratio of -0.93 and a beta of 1.94. Western Asset Mortgage Capital has a 12 month low of $1.10 and a 12 month high of $4.19. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.45, a current ratio of 1,098.13 and a quick ratio of 1,098.13.

Western Asset Mortgage Capital (NYSE:WMC – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by ($0.05). Western Asset Mortgage Capital had a positive return on equity of 3.94% and a negative net margin of 53.54%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.10 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Western Asset Mortgage Capital will post 0.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 4th were paid a $0.04 dividend. This represents a $0.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 1st. Western Asset Mortgage Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently -11.76%.

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in Western Asset Mortgage Capital during the third quarter worth $33,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Western Asset Mortgage Capital in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Fortress Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Western Asset Mortgage Capital in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in Western Asset Mortgage Capital by 820.5% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 17,763 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Western Asset Mortgage Capital in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. 22.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WMC. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Western Asset Mortgage Capital from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Western Asset Mortgage Capital from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 20th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on Western Asset Mortgage Capital from $3.00 to $2.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 9th.

Western Asset Mortgage Capital Company Profile (Get Rating)

Western Asset Mortgage Capital Corporation operates as a real estate investment trust. It invests in, acquires, and manages a portfolio of assets with a focus on residential real estate related investments, including non-qualified mortgage loans, non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), and other related investments.

Read More