Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.14.

Several research firms recently issued reports on HR. Wedbush lowered shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $17.00 target price (up previously from $16.00) on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Healthcare Realty Trust from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Healthcare Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Healthcare Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of HR opened at $16.48 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $17.20 and its 200-day moving average is $17.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of -10.43 and a beta of 0.94. Healthcare Realty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $12.77 and a fifty-two week high of $18.90.

Healthcare Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.53%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Healthcare Realty Trust’s payout ratio is -78.48%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Peter F. Sr Lyle, Sr. purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $17.21 per share, with a total value of $172,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,372.96. This represents a 60.33 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas N. Bohjalian acquired 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.39 per share, for a total transaction of $134,772.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 50,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $869,534.78. The trade was a 18.34 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 18,750 shares of company stock worth $323,723 over the last quarter. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Healthcare Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 70,776 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,200,000 after purchasing an additional 786 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 20,193 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $342,000 after buying an additional 793 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 3.4% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 24,912 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $452,000 after buying an additional 823 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Healthcare Realty Trust by 130.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,635 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 925 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 3.6% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 30,358 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares during the period.

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.