River Road Asset Management LLC Lowers Position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE)

River Road Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,188 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 2,036 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities were worth $5,286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 144.0% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 305 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management raised its position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 595 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. 96.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ARE opened at $99.32 on Wednesday. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.25 and a fifty-two week high of $130.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $98.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $17.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 1.17.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE:ARE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $1.48. Alexandria Real Estate Equities had a return on equity of 1.43% and a net margin of 10.36%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the real estate investment trust to reacquire up to 2.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.32 per share. This represents a $5.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Alexandria Real Estate Equities’s payout ratio is 293.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on ARE shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Alexandria Real Estate Equities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Alexandria Real Estate Equities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $133.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $125.00 to $114.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $104.00 price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $121.30.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Profile

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc (NYSE: ARE), an S&P 500 company, is a best-in-class, mission-driven life science REIT making a positive and lasting impact on the world. As the pioneer of the life science real estate niche since our founding in 1994, Alexandria is the preeminent and longest-tenured owner, operator, and developer of collaborative life science, agtech, and advanced technology mega campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, including Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle.