Sun Communities, Inc. (NYSE:SUI) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Sun Communities, Inc. (NYSE:SUI) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,258,249 shares, a growth of 19.3% from the February 26th total of 1,892,891 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 882,587 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Insider Activity at Sun Communities

In other news, Director Clunet R. Lewis sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.15, for a total value of $435,680.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sun Communities

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in shares of Sun Communities by 1,226.7% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 199 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Sun Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in Sun Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sun Communities during the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Sun Communities in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 99.59% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on SUI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sun Communities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Sun Communities from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Sun Communities in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $143.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Sun Communities from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $133.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Sun Communities from $126.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.17.

Sun Communities Stock Performance

NYSE SUI opened at $127.41 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.70 billion, a PE ratio of 11.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 4.43 and a current ratio of 4.43. Sun Communities has a 52-week low of $109.22 and a 52-week high of $137.85. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $127.28.

Sun Communities (NYSE:SUI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Sun Communities had a net margin of 61.86% and a negative return on equity of 0.04%. The company had revenue of $515.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $509.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. Sun Communities’s quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sun Communities has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.030 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.240-1.320 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Sun Communities will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Sun Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This is an increase from Sun Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Sun Communities’s payout ratio is 41.71%.

About Sun Communities

Sun Communities, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in the acquisition, ownership and operation of manufactured housing communities, recreational vehicle (RV) resorts and marinas. The company’s portfolio spans more than 500 manufactured housing communities and over 160 RV resorts, offering affordable, long-term housing as well as short-stay recreational lodging. Through professional on-site management and amenity-rich community designs, Sun Communities serves a diverse customer base that includes retirees, workforce families and vacationers.

Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, Sun Communities has grown organically and through strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest operators in its sector.