Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.23.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James cut their target price on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from $119.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $122.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust stock traded down $0.25 during trading on Friday, hitting $104.29. 620,860 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 737,499. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The firm has a market cap of $8.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $108.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.91. Federal Realty Investment Trust has a 52-week low of $95.97 and a 52-week high of $118.34.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.73. Federal Realty Investment Trust had a net margin of 24.38% and a return on equity of 9.89%. The company had revenue of $311.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $311.85 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Federal Realty Investment Trust will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.22%. Federal Realty Investment Trust's payout ratio is currently 128.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Federal Realty Investment Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Federal Realty Investment Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Federal Realty Investment Trust in the third quarter valued at $52,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 244.9% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 555 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company's stock.

About Federal Realty Investment Trust

Federal Realty Investment Trust is an equity real estate investment trust, which engages in the provision of ownership, management, and redevelopment of retail and mixed-use properties located primarily in communities where demand exceeds supply in strategically selected metropolitan markets. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in North Bethesda, MD.