Brixmor Property Group (NYSE:BRX) Raised to “Outperform” at Evercore ISI

Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Brixmor Property Group (NYSE:BRX) from an in-line rating to an outperform rating in a report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $31.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on BRX. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Brixmor Property Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $30.00 to $33.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Brixmor Property Group from $25.50 to $27.50 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Brixmor Property Group from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Brixmor Property Group from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Brixmor Property Group from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brixmor Property Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.69.

Brixmor Property Group Stock Performance

Brixmor Property Group stock opened at $27.27 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.24 billion, a PE ratio of 25.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.58. Brixmor Property Group has a one year low of $20.80 and a one year high of $30.67. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $27.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Brixmor Property Group (NYSE:BRX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.31. Brixmor Property Group had a net margin of 25.81% and a return on equity of 11.48%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Brixmor Property Group will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brixmor Property Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.22%. This is a boost from Brixmor Property Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Brixmor Property Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 106.48%.

Insider Transactions at Brixmor Property Group

In related news, insider Steven F. Siegel sold 25,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 315,004 shares in the company, valued at $9,305,218.16. This trade represents a 7.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Brixmor Property Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BRX. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 328.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 943 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 723 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Brixmor Property Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Brixmor Property Group by 124.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 938 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its position in Brixmor Property Group by 36.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,368 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Brixmor Property Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

About Brixmor Property Group

Brixmor Property Group, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust, which engages in owning and operating a portfolio of grocery anchored community and neighborhood shopping centers. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, NY.