Customers shop inside the Flatiron Crossing Mall, a Macerich property in Broomfield, Colo. Photo: Brennan Linsley/Associated PressShort sellers of mall operators have gotten pounded over the past week as expectations of corporate takeouts and heightened activist investor interest in landlords of class-A malls drives up share prices. Short sellers of six of the seven U.S. mall real-estate investment trusts suffered declines in their positions totaling $291 million from Nov. 4 to Nov. 13, according to data from financial analytics firm S3 Partners. Through Nov. 3 of this year, they had been sitting on profits of $981 million on all seven mall REITs. On Nov. 3, Santa Monica, Calif.-based mall REIT Macerich Co. MAC 1.08% announced changes to severance pay for senior executives in the event of a change in control of the company.

Source: Wall Street Journal November 14, 2017 22:07 UTC