Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) Stock Rating Lowered by Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has $17.00 target price on the real estate investment trust's stock, down from their prior target price of $19.00.

HR has been the topic of several other research reports. Wedbush downgraded Healthcare Realty Trust from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $18.00 to $16.00 in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $17.00 price target (up from $16.00) on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Healthcare Realty Trust has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $17.14.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HR traded down $0.48 during trading on Thursday, hitting $16.47. 2,668,825 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,466,269. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.55. Healthcare Realty Trust has a 12-month low of $12.77 and a 12-month high of $18.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of -10.42 and a beta of 0.93.

Healthcare Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.53%. Healthcare Realty Trust's payout ratio is -78.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Healthcare Realty Trust news, Director Thomas N. Bohjalian purchased 7,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $17.39 per share, for a total transaction of $134,772.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 50,002 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $869,534.78. This represents a 18.34 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Peter F. Sr Lyle, Sr. acquired 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $17.21 per share, with a total value of $172,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 26,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at $457,372.96. This trade represents a 60.33 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 18,750 shares of company stock worth $323,723 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Healthcare Realty Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 7.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,856,286 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $96,513,000 after acquiring an additional 395,243 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Healthcare Realty Trust by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 4,784,186 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $78,843,000 after purchasing an additional 301,747 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Healthcare Realty Trust by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 2,367,735 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $39,020,000 after buying an additional 103,259 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Healthcare Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter worth $40,392,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 358.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,142,110 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $38,879,000 after buying an additional 1,674,583 shares during the last quarter.

About Healthcare Realty Trust

Healthcare Realty NYSE: HR is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates medical outpatient buildings primarily located around market-leading hospital campuses. The Company selectively grows its portfolio through property acquisition and development. As the first and largest REIT to specialize in medical outpatient buildings, Healthcare Realty's portfolio includes more than 700 properties totaling over 40 million square feet concentrated in 15 growth markets.