Short Interest in Brixmor Property Group Inc. (NYSE:BRX) Rises By 5.4%

Brixmor Property Group Inc. (NYSE:BRX) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,030,000 shares, an increase of 5.4% from the November 30th total of 8,570,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,040,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days.

Insider Transactions at Brixmor Property Group

In other Brixmor Property Group news, insider Steven F. Siegel sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.54, for a total value of $738,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 315,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,305,218.16. This represents a 7.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Brixmor Property Group by 36.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,368 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 14,615 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $337,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 178,123 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,961,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 0.8% during the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 84,381 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,948,000 after purchasing an additional 659 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Brixmor Property Group by 328.6% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 943 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 723 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BRX shares. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Brixmor Property Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $30.00 to $33.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Compass Point upped their target price on shares of Brixmor Property Group from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Brixmor Property Group from $25.50 to $27.50 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Brixmor Property Group from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on Brixmor Property Group from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.19.

Brixmor Property Group Stock Performance

Shares of BRX stock opened at $27.53 on Friday. Brixmor Property Group has a 12-month low of $20.80 and a 12-month high of $30.67. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The company has a market cap of $8.32 billion, a PE ratio of 25.49, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 1.58.

Brixmor Property Group (NYSE:BRX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.21). Brixmor Property Group had a net margin of 25.81% and a return on equity of 11.48%. The business had revenue of $320.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $320.22 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.50 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Brixmor Property Group will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brixmor Property Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.287 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.17%. This is a boost from Brixmor Property Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Brixmor Property Group’s payout ratio is currently 106.48%.

Brixmor Property Group Company Profile

Brixmor (NYSE: BRX) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates a high-quality, national portfolio of open-air shopping centers. Its 362 retail centers comprise approximately 64 million square feet of prime retail space in established trade areas. The Company strives to own and operate shopping centers that reflect Brixmor's vision to be the center of the communities we serve and are home to a diverse mix of thriving national, regional and local retailers.