CTO Realty Growth, Inc. (NYSE:CTO) Short Interest Up 70.2% in August

CTO Realty Growth, Inc. (NYSE:CTO) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of August. As of August 14th, there was short interest totaling 1,746,153 shares, a growth of 70.2% from the July 30th total of 1,025,694 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 364,403 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.8 days. Approximately 4.9% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on CTO. Zacks Research downgraded CTO Realty Growth from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Alliance Global Partners reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CTO Realty Growth in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JonesTrading boosted their target price on CTO Realty Growth from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of CTO Realty Growth in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on CTO Realty Growth from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $24.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CTO Realty Growth

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of CTO Realty Growth by 231.9% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,250 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in CTO Realty Growth during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in CTO Realty Growth by 51.7% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,654 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 1,245 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in CTO Realty Growth in the second quarter worth $70,000. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in CTO Realty Growth during the 2nd quarter valued at about $120,000. 67.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CTO Realty Growth Trading Up 0.7%

CTO Realty Growth stock opened at $21.49 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $21.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.44. The stock has a market cap of $805.66 million, a P/E ratio of 15.80 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 8.69 and a current ratio of 8.69. CTO Realty Growth has a fifty-two week low of $15.06 and a fifty-two week high of $22.71.

CTO Realty Growth (NYSE:CTO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $43.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.31 million. CTO Realty Growth had a net margin of 32.63% and a return on equity of 8.90%. CTO Realty Growth has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.210-2.250 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that CTO Realty Growth will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CTO Realty Growth Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 10th. CTO Realty Growth’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.76%.

About CTO Realty Growth

CTO Realty Growth, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in single-tenant net lease properties. The company’s primary focus is on acquiring, owning and managing retail assets leased to creditworthy operators under long-term, triple-net lease agreements. By targeting essential retail segments, CTO Realty Growth seeks to generate stable, inflation-protected income streams while maintaining a disciplined investment approach.

The REIT’s portfolio is concentrated in convenience store and fuel service locations, with additional assets in other retail categories where net lease structures prevail.