Merit Financial Group LLC Purchases 2,578 Shares of Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR)

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) by 20.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 15,066 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,578 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Healthcare Realty Trust were worth $255,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Healthcare Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter worth $40,392,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 358.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,142,110 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,879,000 after purchasing an additional 1,674,583 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 1,003.2% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 435,977 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,185,000 after purchasing an additional 396,456 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Healthcare Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $7,052,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Healthcare Realty Trust by 116.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 722,582 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $13,117,000 after buying an additional 388,305 shares during the period.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:HR opened at $16.78 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.55. Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated has a 52-week low of $12.77 and a 52-week high of $18.90. The company has a market cap of $5.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.62 and a beta of 0.94.

Healthcare Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.39%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Healthcare Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -78.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on HR. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “underweight” rating and set a $17.00 price objective (up from $16.00) on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Healthcare Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Wedbush cut Healthcare Realty Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Healthcare Realty Trust from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.14.

Insider Activity

In other Healthcare Realty Trust news, Director Thomas N. Bohjalian bought 7,750 shares of Healthcare Realty Trust stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $17.39 per share, for a total transaction of $134,772.50. Following 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Peter F. Sr Lyle, Sr. purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $17.21 per share, with a total value of $172,100.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,372.96. The trade was a 60.33 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 18,750 shares of company stock valued at $323,723. 0.56% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.