Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) Price Target Raised to $85.00 at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) had its target price upped by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from $83.00 to $85.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on REG. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Regency Centers from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $88.00 price target on shares of Regency Centers in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Regency Centers in a report on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Regency Centers from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Regency Centers to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $83.75.

Regency Centers Stock Performance

NASDAQ:REG opened at $80.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a current ratio of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average of $79.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.70 billion, a PE ratio of 27.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.80. Regency Centers has a fifty-two week low of $66.86 and a fifty-two week high of $83.66.

Regency Centers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th were issued a dividend of $0.755 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 12th. This represents a $3.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Regency Centers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 102.37%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Martin E. Stein, Jr. sold 274,615 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.40, for a total value of $21,529,816.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Nicholas Andrew Wibbenmeyer sold 7,927 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.06, for a total transaction of $626,708.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 33,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,614,435.14. This represents a 19.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 283,782 shares of company stock worth $22,255,898 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Regency Centers

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Regency Centers during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,183,667,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Regency Centers by 10.3% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,004,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $756,967,000 after purchasing an additional 931,272 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in shares of Regency Centers in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,480,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Regency Centers by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,806,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,680,000 after purchasing an additional 775,609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Regency Centers by 364.9% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 842,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,126,000 after buying an additional 660,896 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

About Regency Centers

Regency Centers Corporation is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the ownership, operation and development of grocery-anchored shopping centers. Focused on everyday needs retail, the company’s portfolio is strategically concentrated in high-growth, densely populated markets across the United States. By aligning its properties with essential retailers, Regency Centers delivers stable income streams and drives sustained value for shareholders.

Founded in 1963 and headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Regency Centers began as a single shopping center developer before evolving into one of the largest owners of grocery-center real estate.