Stag Industrial (NYSE:STAG) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Stag Industrial (NYSE:STAG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on STAG. Robert W. Baird set a $138.00 price objective on shares of Stag Industrial in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Stag Industrial from $38.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $44.00 price target on shares of Stag Industrial in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Stag Industrial in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $44.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Stag Industrial in a report on Friday, July 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.50.

Stag Industrial Price Performance

Shares of STAG stock opened at $37.28 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76. Stag Industrial has a fifty-two week low of $34.18 and a fifty-two week high of $42.61. The firm has a market cap of $7.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.68 and a beta of 0.96. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $38.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.36.

Stag Industrial (NYSE:STAG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by ($0.37). Stag Industrial had a net margin of 28.04% and a return on equity of 6.79%. The business had revenue of $224.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $223.04 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. Stag Industrial’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Stag Industrial will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Stag Industrial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.3875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.55 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. Stag Industrial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stag Industrial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Stag Industrial in the 2nd quarter worth $1,097,126,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Stag Industrial during the fourth quarter valued at $295,644,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Stag Industrial during the second quarter valued at $58,805,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Stag Industrial by 434,005.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,098,286 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $40,373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098,033 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC bought a new stake in Stag Industrial during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,558,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.67% of the company’s stock.

Stag Industrial Company Profile

Stag Industrial, Inc is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in the acquisition, ownership and operation of single-tenant industrial properties throughout the United States. The company’s portfolio is focused on free-standing warehouses, distribution centers and light manufacturing facilities designed to meet the logistical needs of a diverse tenant base. By concentrating on properties with straightforward layouts and minimal common-area maintenance, Stag Industrial seeks to deliver stable rental income and attractive risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders.

Since its founding in 2010 and initial public offering in 2011, Stag Industrial has pursued a disciplined investment strategy centered on high-quality, well-located assets.