Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) has been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.14.

HR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Healthcare Realty Trust from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $17.00 price target (up from $16.00) on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Healthcare Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Wedbush lowered Healthcare Realty Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HR opened at $16.48 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.43 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50 day moving average of $17.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.55. Healthcare Realty Trust has a 52-week low of $12.77 and a 52-week high of $18.90.

Healthcare Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.53%. Healthcare Realty Trust’s payout ratio is presently -78.48%.

Insider Activity at Healthcare Realty Trust

In other Healthcare Realty Trust news, Director Peter F. Sr Lyle, Sr. purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.21 per share, for a total transaction of $172,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,576 shares in the company, valued at $457,372.96. This represents a 60.33 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas N. Bohjalian purchased 7,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $17.39 per share, with a total value of $134,772.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 50,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $869,534.78. The trade was a 18.34 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought 18,750 shares of company stock valued at $323,723 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Healthcare Realty Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HR. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 70,776 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,200,000 after acquiring an additional 786 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in Healthcare Realty Trust by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 20,193 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $342,000 after buying an additional 793 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 24,912 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $452,000 after buying an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 130.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,635 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 925 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 30,358 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter.

About Healthcare Realty Trust

Healthcare Realty (NYSE: HR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates medical outpatient buildings primarily located around market-leading hospital campuses. The Company selectively grows its portfolio through property acquisition and development. As the first and largest REIT to specialize in medical outpatient buildings, Healthcare Realty's portfolio includes more than 700 properties totaling over 40 million square feet concentrated in 15 growth markets.