Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $14.88 and last traded at $14.78, with a volume of 20436 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.73.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WSR shares. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Whitestone REIT in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Whitestone REIT from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective on shares of Whitestone REIT in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Whitestone REIT has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $15.00.

Whitestone REIT Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $14.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $753.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.39, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.26.

Whitestone REIT Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.0413 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. Whitestone REIT’s payout ratio is currently 121.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Whitestone REIT

In other news, Director Julia Bruns Buthman purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $12.99 per share, for a total transaction of $64,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,093 shares in the company, valued at $105,128.07. This represents a 161.66 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 5.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Whitestone REIT Company Profile

Whitestone REIT (NYSE: WSR) is a community-centered real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, owns, operates, and develops open-air, retail centers located in some of the fastest growing markets in the country: Phoenix, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Our centers are convenience focused: merchandised with a mix of service-oriented tenants providing food (restaurants and grocers), self-care (health and fitness), services (financial and logistics), education and entertainment to the surrounding communities.