MetLife Investment Management LLC Increases Stake in STAG Industrial, Inc. (NYSE:STAG)

MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of STAG Industrial, Inc. (NYSE:STAG - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 108,042 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 8,413 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of STAG Industrial worth $3,654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Natixis purchased a new stake in shares of STAG Industrial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,240,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of STAG Industrial by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 64,559 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,183,000 after acquiring an additional 6,969 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of STAG Industrial by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 13,369 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 8,021 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in STAG Industrial by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 379,200 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $12,818,000 after purchasing an additional 14,921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dean Investment Associates LLC grew its position in STAG Industrial by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC now owns 78,798 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,665,000 after purchasing an additional 3,409 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.67% of the company's stock.

STAG Industrial Price Performance

STAG traded down $0.04 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $32.80. 1,615,328 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,192,965. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a PE ratio of 31.54 and a beta of 0.96. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $34.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.11. STAG Industrial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.61 and a 1 year high of $41.63.

STAG Industrial (NYSE:STAG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.01. STAG Industrial had a return on equity of 5.51% and a net margin of 24.64%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that STAG Industrial, Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STAG Industrial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.1242 per share. This represents a $1.49 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.54%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. STAG Industrial's dividend payout ratio is 143.27%.

Insider Activity at STAG Industrial

In other news, Director Benjamin S. Butcher sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.10, for a total value of $1,755,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $338,083.20. This represents a 83.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STAG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James decreased their price target on STAG Industrial from $40.00 to $36.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of STAG Industrial from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on STAG Industrial from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $39.57.

About STAG Industrial

STAG Industrial, Inc is a real estate investment company, which engages in acquiring, owning, and managing single-tenant, industrial real estate assets. It offers industrial real estate operating platform to real estate ownership. The company was founded by Benjamin S. Butcher on July 21, 2010 and is headquartered in Boston, MA.