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

Shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $78.08.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Regency Centers from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Regency Centers from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Regency Centers in a research note on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th.

Regency Centers Price Performance

Shares of REG opened at $71.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.78, a PEG ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 1.22. Regency Centers has a twelve month low of $56.51 and a twelve month high of $76.53.

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

Regency Centers Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.705 per share. This represents a $2.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.92%. This is a positive change from Regency Centers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Regency Centers’s payout ratio is 132.39%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Regency Centers

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in REG. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Regency Centers during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its position in Regency Centers by 300.0% in the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 800 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Regency Centers by 84.8% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Regency Centers during the 3rd quarter worth $96,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Regency Centers by 29.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

About Regency Centers

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.