Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Increases Position in The Macerich Company (NYSE:MAC)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in The Macerich Company (NYSE:MAC - Free Report) by 236.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 62,495 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 43,895 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Macerich were worth $1,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Macerich by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,617,446 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $769,260,000 after acquiring an additional 4,503,509 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in Macerich by 87.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,047,786 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $439,192,000 after purchasing an additional 10,274,895 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Macerich by 845.9% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,051,286 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $200,222,000 after purchasing an additional 8,988,665 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Macerich by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,001,399 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $119,573,000 after purchasing an additional 574,490 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Macerich by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,171,300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $103,012,000 after buying an additional 369,931 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.38% of the company's stock.

Macerich Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of Macerich stock traded up $0.17 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.84. 1,112,950 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,992,066. The stock has a market cap of $3.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 2.17. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $16.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The Macerich Company has a 12-month low of $12.48 and a 12-month high of $22.27.

Macerich Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.58%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. Macerich's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -86.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Macerich from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Macerich from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Macerich from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Macerich from $21.00 to $16.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Macerich from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $19.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Macerich currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $18.95.

About Macerich

Macerich is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). As a leading owner, operator and developer of high-quality retail real estate in densely populated and attractive U.S. markets, Macerich's portfolio is concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and the Metro New York to Washington, DC corridor.