Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Purchases New Holdings in Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE:BXP)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE:BXP) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 71,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $5,017,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BXP. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Boston Properties during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Boston Properties during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Boston Properties by 770.9% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 479 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Boston Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Boston Properties by 170.4% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 676 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. 98.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Boston Properties Stock Up 2.6 %

BXP stock opened at $60.20 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $63.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.60. The company has a market cap of $9.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.75 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 5.40 and a current ratio of 5.40. Boston Properties, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.80 and a fifty-two week high of $73.97.

Boston Properties (NYSE:BXP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by ($1.05). Boston Properties had a return on equity of 2.32% and a net margin of 5.81%. The firm had revenue of $828.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $811.59 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.86 earnings per share. Boston Properties’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Boston Properties, Inc. will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Boston Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.51%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. Boston Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 323.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Boston Properties from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 8th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Boston Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Boston Properties in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $74.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Boston Properties from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Boston Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $57.00 to $80.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Raymond A. Ritchey sold 14,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.84, for a total transaction of $889,186.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.22% of the company’s stock.

About Boston Properties

Boston Properties, Inc (NYSE: BXP) (BXP or the Company) is the largest publicly traded developer, owner, and manager of premier workplaces in the United States, concentrated in six dynamic gateway markets – Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. BXP has delivered places that power progress for our clients and communities for more than 50 years.