Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) Downgraded to "Sell" Rating by StockNews.com

Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report released on Wednesday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $19.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, December 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $17.20.

Healthcare Realty Trust Price Performance

NYSE:HR traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $16.73. 1,745,140 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,489,253. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $16.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.40 and a beta of 0.94. Healthcare Realty Trust has a 12-month low of $12.77 and a 12-month high of $18.90.

Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $309.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $303.81 million. Healthcare Realty Trust had a negative return on equity of 11.20% and a negative net margin of 51.60%. The firm's revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Healthcare Realty Trust will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Healthcare Realty Trust

In related news, Director Peter F. Sr Lyle, Sr. purchased 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $17.21 per share, for a total transaction of $172,100.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,576 shares in the company, valued at $457,372.96. This trade represents a 60.33 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Healthcare Realty Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Healthcare Realty Trust by 59.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 11,530 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 16,581 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 756 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Healthcare Realty Trust by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 70,776 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,200,000 after purchasing an additional 786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 20,193 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 793 shares during the last quarter.

About Healthcare Realty Trust

Healthcare Realty Trust, Inc provides real estate investment services. It owns, leases, manages, acquires, finances, develops, and redevelops income-producing real estate properties associated primarily with the delivery of outpatient healthcare services throughout the United States of America. The company was founded by David R.