Van ECK Associates Corp Grows Stock Position in Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,769 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Federal Realty Investment Trust were worth $4,004,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust during the third quarter valued at $52,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 2,475.0% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 618 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,121 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 249.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares during the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:FRT opened at $105.12 on Thursday. Federal Realty Investment Trust has a 52-week low of $95.97 and a 52-week high of $118.34. The stock has a market cap of $9.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50 day moving average is $108.58 and its 200 day moving average is $111.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73. The firm had revenue of $311.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $311.85 million. Federal Realty Investment Trust had a net margin of 24.38% and a return on equity of 9.89%. Sell-side analysts predict that Federal Realty Investment Trust will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.19%. Federal Realty Investment Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 128.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FRT has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $122.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from $119.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Federal Realty Investment Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.23.

About Federal Realty Investment Trust

Federal Realty Investment Trust is an equity real estate investment trust, which engages in the provision of ownership, management, and redevelopment of retail and mixed-use properties located primarily in communities where demand exceeds supply in strategically selected metropolitan markets. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in North Bethesda, MD.