KBC Group NV Buys 5,664 Shares of The Macerich Company (NYSE:MAC)

KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of The Macerich Company (NYSE:MAC) by 92.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,814 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,664 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Macerich were worth $235,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Macerich by 152.2% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,546 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Macerich by 40.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,214 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 933 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Macerich by 34.8% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,374 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $150,000 after acquiring an additional 2,161 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Macerich by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 13,448 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 902 shares during the period. Finally, Harbour Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Macerich in the 3rd quarter valued at about $256,000. 87.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MAC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Macerich in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Compass Point boosted their target price on Macerich from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Macerich from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Macerich from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $19.00 to $23.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Macerich from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.30.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Andrea M. Stephen sold 63,289 shares of Macerich stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.59, for a total transaction of $1,303,120.51. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 83,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,718,832.61. The trade was a 43.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Macerich Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Macerich stock opened at $20.32 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $20.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.35. The company has a market capitalization of $5.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.11, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 2.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The Macerich Company has a 12-month low of $12.99 and a 12-month high of $22.27.

Macerich (NYSE:MAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.90). The firm had revenue of $220.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.54 million. Macerich had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 3.15%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.44 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Macerich Company will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Macerich

Macerich is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). As a leading owner, operator and developer of high-quality retail real estate in densely populated and attractive U.S. markets, Macerich’s portfolio is concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and the Metro New York to Washington, DC corridor.