Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) Stock Price Up 1.1% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) rose 1.1% on Monday . The company traded as high as $71.73 and last traded at $71.84. Approximately 105,415 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 1,000,174 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on REG. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Regency Centers from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Mizuho upped their target price on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, BTIG Research increased their target price on shares of Regency Centers from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Regency Centers currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.08.

Regency Centers Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $12.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.84 and its 200-day moving average is $73.02.

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

Regency Centers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.705 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.95%. Regency Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.02%.

Insider Activity

In other Regency Centers news, CFO Michael J. Mas sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $3,975,872. This represents a 27.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Martin E. Stein, Jr. sold 50,000 shares of Regency Centers stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.48, for a total value of $3,674,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 110,263 shares in the company, valued at $8,102,125.24. The trade was a 31.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 95,000 shares of company stock valued at $6,977,500 over the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Regency Centers

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in REG. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Regency Centers during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. National Pension Service bought a new position in Regency Centers during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in Regency Centers by 48,700.0% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new stake in Regency Centers in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Regency Centers in the 4th quarter worth $53,000. 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.