Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:IRT) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

04 Mar 2026, 21:48 by Kim Johansen · The Markets Daily

Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:IRT – Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 10,413,078 shares, a drop of 15.3% from the January 29th total of 12,290,693 shares. Approximately 4.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 3,398,824 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Based on an average trading volume of 3,398,824 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Approximately 4.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Independence Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of IRT stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $16.73. 2,297,387 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,008,088. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $16.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.83. The company has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.71, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.99. Independence Realty Trust has a 12 month low of $15.06 and a 12 month high of $21.67.

Independence Realty Trust (NYSE:IRT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32. Independence Realty Trust had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 1.58%. The business had revenue of $167.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.26 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Independence Realty Trust will post 1.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Independence Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Independence Realty Trust’s payout ratio is presently 283.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IRT. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Independence Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Independence Realty Trust during the third quarter worth $26,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Independence Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at $27,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Independence Realty Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Independence Realty Trust by 70.3% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on IRT shares. Wall Street Zen cut Independence Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Independence Realty Trust in a research report on Friday, January 9th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Independence Realty Trust from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Zacks Research lowered Independence Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Independence Realty Trust from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Independence Realty Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.35.

Read Our Latest Research Report on IRT

About Independence Realty Trust

(Get Free Report)

Independence Realty Trust is a self-administered equity real estate investment trust that acquires, redevelops and manages multi-family communities. The company focuses on workforce housing, targeting Class A and B garden-style apartments in suburban and urban infill locations. Its core activities include sourcing value-add acquisitions, overseeing property renovations and delivering in-house property management services to optimize rental income and occupancy levels.