Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $78.08.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on REG. Mizuho increased their price target on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Regency Centers from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Regency Centers from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on Regency Centers in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company.

Regency Centers Stock Performance

Shares of REG stock opened at $73.44 on Thursday. Regency Centers has a 12-month low of $56.51 and a 12-month high of $76.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Regency Centers will post 4.54 EPS for the current year.

Regency Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a $0.705 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. Regency Centers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Regency Centers

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Regency Centers during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,262,425,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in Regency Centers by 1.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,768,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $857,892,000 after purchasing an additional 131,300 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Regency Centers by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,141,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $823,711,000 after purchasing an additional 51,424 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Regency Centers by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,440,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $771,859,000 after purchasing an additional 171,047 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Regency Centers by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,182,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $678,873,000 after purchasing an additional 366,427 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.