Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE:BXP) Short Interest Up 6.6% in January

Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE:BXP - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,300,000 shares, a growth of 6.6% from the December 31st total of 6,850,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,190,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.1 days.

Boston Properties Stock Performance

Boston Properties stock traded up $0.38 on Friday, reaching $72.77. 572,429 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,279,148. The company has a current ratio of 5.69, a quick ratio of 5.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. Boston Properties has a twelve month low of $56.46 and a twelve month high of $90.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $74.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.77. The stock has a market cap of $11.51 billion, a PE ratio of 727.76, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.18.

Boston Properties (NYSE:BXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $1.28. Boston Properties had a return on equity of 3.90% and a net margin of 0.38%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Boston Properties will post 6.89 EPS for the current year.

Boston Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.39%. Boston Properties's dividend payout ratio is 3,920.39%.

Insider Activity

In other Boston Properties news, EVP Hilary J. Spann sold 12,379 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.02, for a total value of $891,535.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $523,657.42. This trade represents a 63.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Boston Properties

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Boston Properties by 212.1% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 568 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Boston Properties by 5,025.0% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 615 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Boston Properties in the third quarter valued at about $58,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Boston Properties by 61.4% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,438 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Boston Properties during the 2nd quarter worth $116,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BXP shares. Compass Point raised Boston Properties from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $88.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Boston Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Boston Properties in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Boston Properties from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Boston Properties from $92.00 to $86.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Boston Properties has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $82.23.

Boston Properties Company Profile

Boston Properties, Inc NYSE: BXP (BXP or the Company) is the largest publicly traded developer, owner, and manager of premier workplaces in the United States, concentrated in six dynamic gateway markets - Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. BXP has delivered places that power progress for our clients and communities for more than 50 years.