California Public Employees Retirement System Buys 449,110 Shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG)

California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) by 137.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 776,521 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 449,110 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.43% of Regency Centers worth $57,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in REG. Allstate Corp bought a new stake in shares of Regency Centers during the 4th quarter valued at $388,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Regency Centers by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 272,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,122,000 after buying an additional 12,291 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Regency Centers by 18,315.0% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 39,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,913,000 after acquiring an additional 39,194 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Regency Centers in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,262,425,000. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Regency Centers by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 6,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $449,000 after acquiring an additional 1,238 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Regency Centers Stock Performance

NASDAQ:REG opened at $73.57 on Wednesday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $73.20 and its 200 day moving average is $72.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.35 billion, a PE ratio of 34.70, a PEG ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 1.23. Regency Centers Co. has a fifty-two week low of $56.51 and a fifty-two week high of $78.18.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.09 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Regency Centers Co. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Regency Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a $0.705 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.83%. Regency Centers’s payout ratio is 133.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Regency Centers from $80.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Regency Centers from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael J. Mas sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was 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 owns 54,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,975,872. This represents a 27.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lisa Palmer sold 25,000 shares of Regency Centers stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 139,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,250,758.98. This trade represents a 15.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 95,000 shares of company stock valued at $6,977,500. Insiders own 1.00% 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.