Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $78.08.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Regency Centers from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on Regency Centers from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Regency Centers from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th.

Regency Centers Stock Performance

Regency Centers stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $73.33. 841,954 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 932,249. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market cap of $13.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.59. Regency Centers has a fifty-two week low of $56.51 and a fifty-two week high of $76.53.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.61. Regency Centers had a return on equity of 5.91% and a net margin of 27.54%. On average, research analysts expect that Regency Centers will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Regency Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $0.705 dividend. This represents a $2.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Regency Centers's payout ratio is presently 133.02%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Lisa Palmer sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.26, for a total transaction of $1,831,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 139,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,250,758.98. This trade represents a 15.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael J. Mas sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.60, for a total value of $1,472,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 54,020 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,975,872. This trade represents a 27.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in REG. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Regency Centers in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. National Pension Service bought a new stake in shares of Regency Centers in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Regency Centers by 48,700.0% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 488 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new position in shares of Regency Centers in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Regency Centers in the 4th quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Regency Centers Company 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.