Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,840,000 shares, a growth of 6.5% from the September 30th total of 13,000,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,390,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.1 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Healthcare Realty Trust news, Director John Knox Singleton purchased 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $18.24 per share, for a total transaction of $118,560.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 57,082 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,175.68. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director John Knox Singleton acquired 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $18.24 per share, with a total value of $118,560.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 57,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,175.68. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas N. Bohjalian bought 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $17.39 per share, for a total transaction of $156,510.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at $386,962.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought 15,728 shares of company stock valued at $279,069 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Healthcare Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 8.9% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 166,676 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,040,000 after buying an additional 13,592 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Healthcare Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at about $89,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 15.1% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 18,899 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $343,000 after acquiring an additional 2,475 shares during the period. abrdn plc grew its stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 2.6% in the third quarter. abrdn plc now owns 252,889 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,590,000 after acquiring an additional 6,419 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Healthcare Realty Trust by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 44,034 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 2,446 shares during the period.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Down 0.8 %

Healthcare Realty Trust stock traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $17.05. 5,185,174 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,466,291. Healthcare Realty Trust has a one year low of $12.77 and a one year high of $18.90. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $17.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.89.

Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.77). The company had revenue of $316.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $317.90 million. Healthcare Realty Trust had a negative net margin of 45.63% and a negative return on equity of 9.42%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.39 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Healthcare Realty Trust will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Healthcare Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.27%. Healthcare Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -78.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HR shares. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $17.00 price objective (up from $16.00) on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.17.

Healthcare Realty Trust Company Profile

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.