Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on FRT. Scotiabank upped their target price on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $119.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $122.00 to $125.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.46.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FRT traded down $6.79 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $105.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,771,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 671,837. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a market cap of $8.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.24. The business's 50 day moving average price is $109.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.12. Federal Realty Investment Trust has a fifty-two week low of $95.97 and a fifty-two week high of $118.34.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.73. The company had revenue of $311.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $311.85 million. Federal Realty Investment Trust had a return on equity of 10.01% and a net margin of 24.67%. On average, analysts forecast that Federal Realty Investment Trust will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Federal Realty Investment Trust's payout ratio is currently 127.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Federal Realty Investment Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 81.7% during the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 238 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust in the third quarter worth about $52,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 244.9% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.