Principal Securities Inc. Grows Stock Position in Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG)

Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) by 29.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,360 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 306 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Regency Centers were worth $101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in REG. Wealthcare Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Regency Centers in the fourth quarter worth $408,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Regency Centers during the fourth quarter valued at about $479,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Regency Centers during the fourth quarter valued at about $395,000. D Orazio & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Regency Centers during the fourth quarter valued at about $200,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in shares of Regency Centers by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 56,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,170,000 after purchasing an additional 6,684 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Regency Centers Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of REG stock opened at $75.25 on Thursday. Regency Centers Co. has a 12-month low of $56.51 and a 12-month high of $76.53. The company has a market capitalization of $13.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $72.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.61. Regency Centers had a net margin of 27.54% and a return on equity of 5.91%. Research analysts forecast that Regency Centers Co. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Regency Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.705 per share. This represents a $2.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Regency Centers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael J. Mas sold 20,000 shares of Regency Centers stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.60, for a total value of $1,472,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 54,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,975,872. This trade represents a 27.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lisa Palmer sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.26, for a total value of $1,831,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 139,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,250,758.98. This represents a 15.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on REG. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Regency Centers from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Regency Centers from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Regency Centers from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.08.

Regency Centers 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.