Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $76.92.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $67.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Evercore ISI raised Regency Centers from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Regency Centers from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Scotiabank increased their target price on Regency Centers from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $69.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th.

Regency Centers Stock Performance

Shares of REG opened at $73.66 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.58, a P/E/G ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.21. Regency Centers has a 12-month low of $56.51 and a 12-month high of $75.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.39 and its 200-day moving average is $67.24.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.50). The company had revenue of $360.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $355.17 million. Regency Centers had a return on equity of 5.85% and a net margin of 27.78%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.02 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Regency Centers will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Regency Centers Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.705 dividend. This represents a $2.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Regency Centers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Regency Centers’s payout ratio is currently 132.39%.

Institutional Trading of Regency Centers

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in shares of Regency Centers by 8.0% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of Regency Centers by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 525,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,802,000 after buying an additional 7,000 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Regency Centers during the 1st quarter worth $445,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Regency Centers by 67.0% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 987,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,768,000 after acquiring an additional 395,901 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Regency Centers by 13.4% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,713 shares of the company’s stock worth $467,000 after acquiring an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Regency Centers Company Profile

Regency Centers is a preeminent national owner, operator, and developer of shopping centers located in suburban trade areas with compelling demographics. Our portfolio includes thriving properties merchandised with highly productive grocers, restaurants, service providers, and best-in-class retailers that connect to their neighborhoods, communities, and customers.