CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Purchases 21,539 Shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG - Free Report) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 326,654 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,539 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned about 0.18% of Regency Centers worth $24,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in REG. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Regency Centers in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. National Pension Service acquired a new position in Regency Centers in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new position in Regency Centers during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Regency Centers during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Regency Centers by 4,400.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 855 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Regency Centers

In related news, CEO Lisa Palmer sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.26, for a total value of $1,831,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 139,923 shares in the company, valued at $10,250,758.98. This represents a 15.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael J. Mas sold 20,000 shares of the company'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 transaction of $1,472,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 54,020 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,975,872. The trade was a 27.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 95,000 shares of company stock worth $6,977,500 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Regency Centers Price Performance

Shares of REG stock traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $71.86. 390,774 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,053,042. Regency Centers Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.08 and a fifty-two week high of $78.18. The stock's fifty day moving average is $72.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.67. The company has a market cap of $13.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.61. Regency Centers had a net margin of 27.54% and a return on equity of 5.91%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Regency Centers Co. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Regency Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $0.705 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.92%. Regency Centers's dividend payout ratio is currently 133.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $80.00 to $79.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $80.00 to $76.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $78.08.

About Regency Centers

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.