Shares of Great Ajax Corp. (NYSE:AJX - Get Rating) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $13.00.
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A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AJX shares. B. Riley dropped their target price on Great Ajax from $14.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Wednesday. TheStreet downgraded Great Ajax from a "c-" rating to a "d" rating in a research note on Friday, November 25th.
In related news, CFO Mary B. Doyle sold 3,612 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.56, for a total value of $27,306.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 95,759 shares in the company, valued at approximately $723,938.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in Great Ajax by 194.1% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 4,856 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 3,205 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC acquired a new position in shares of Great Ajax during the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Great Ajax during the 4th quarter worth $80,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Great Ajax by 54.3% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 12,130 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 4,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Great Ajax by 502.1% during the 4th quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 30,341 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $220,000 after buying an additional 25,302 shares in the last quarter. 74.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
NYSE AJX opened at $7.31 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $169.08 million, a P/E ratio of -5.80 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.89. The stock's 50-day moving average is $8.40 and its 200-day moving average is $8.23. Great Ajax has a one year low of $7.02 and a one year high of $11.78.
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 16th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.68%. Great Ajax's dividend payout ratio is currently -85.71%.
Great Ajax is an externally managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, invests, and manages a portfolio of mortgage loans secured by single-family residences and single-family properties.
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