NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:NREF) Short Interest Down 14.8% in March

NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:NREF) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 452,183 shares, a decrease of 14.8% from the March 15th total of 530,688 shares. Currently, 5.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 76,046 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.9 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NexPoint Real Estate Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in NexPoint Real Estate Finance in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in NexPoint Real Estate Finance in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in NexPoint Real Estate Finance by 152.6% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,689 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new stake in NexPoint Real Estate Finance in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NexPoint Real Estate Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $99,000. 67.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance Price Performance

NYSE:NREF traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $14.05. The stock had a trading volume of 29,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,230. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 173.22 and a quick ratio of 173.22. NexPoint Real Estate Finance has a one year low of $12.36 and a one year high of $16.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $262.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 1.17.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance (NYSE:NREF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.48. NexPoint Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 122.60% and a return on equity of 15.29%. The firm had revenue of $31.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.64 million. NexPoint Real Estate Finance has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.310-0.360 EPS. Research analysts forecast that NexPoint Real Estate Finance will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. NexPoint Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on NREF shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance from $14.50 to $14.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of NexPoint Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $14.00.

About NexPoint Real Estate Finance

NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on originating, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt investments. The company seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by providing financing solutions across the capital structure for stabilized and transitional properties. Its investments include whole loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity and other structured credit products secured by multifamily, office, industrial, retail and hospitality assets.

Since its initial public offering in March 2021, NexPoint Real Estate Finance has closed numerous transactions with borrowers nationwide, including both institutional sponsors and privately held owners.