KBC Group NV Increases Holdings in Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG)

KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG - Free Report) by 303.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 169,927 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 127,796 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.09% of Regency Centers worth $12,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of Regency Centers by 8.0% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Regency Centers by 13.4% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,713 shares of the company's stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its holdings in Regency Centers by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 16,316 shares of the company's stock valued at $988,000 after purchasing an additional 2,156 shares during the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its position in Regency Centers by 1.4% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 187,067 shares of the company's stock worth $11,445,000 after purchasing an additional 2,660 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Regency Centers by 340.8% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 17,056 shares of the company's stock worth $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 13,187 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Regency Centers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Evercore ISI raised Regency Centers from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Raymond James upped their price target on Regency Centers from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Regency Centers from $69.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.92.

Regency Centers Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:REG remained flat at $73.66 on Friday. 3,835,304 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,072,727. The company has a fifty day moving average of $72.39 and a 200 day moving average of $67.24. The company has a market cap of $13.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Regency Centers Co. has a 52 week low of $56.51 and a 52 week high of $75.26.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.50). Regency Centers had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 5.85%. The firm had revenue of $360.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $355.17 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.02 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Regency Centers Co. will post 4.28 EPS for the current year.

Regency Centers Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.705 dividend. This is a boost from Regency Centers's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Regency Centers's payout ratio is currently 125.82%.

Regency Centers Profile

Regency Centers is a preeminent national owner, operator, and developer of shopping centers located in suburban trade areas with compelling demographics. Our portfolio includes thriving properties merchandised with highly productive grocers, restaurants, service providers, and best-in-class retailers that connect to their neighborhoods, communities, and customers.