Urban Edge Properties (NYSE:UE) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Urban Edge Properties (NYSE:UE) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Urban Edge Properties from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 24th.

Urban Edge Properties Stock Performance

Shares of UE stock opened at $18.47 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.31 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.33. Urban Edge Properties has a 52 week low of $15.81 and a 52 week high of $23.85.

Urban Edge Properties (NYSE:UE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.25. Urban Edge Properties had a net margin of 16.31% and a return on equity of 5.59%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Urban Edge Properties will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Urban Edge Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.11%. This is a boost from Urban Edge Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Urban Edge Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 128.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Urban Edge Properties

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UE. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Urban Edge Properties by 1,499.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,599,628 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,216,000 after purchasing an additional 1,499,628 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in Urban Edge Properties during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,584,000. FMR LLC increased its position in Urban Edge Properties by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 13,911,571 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $297,568,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096,560 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP increased its position in Urban Edge Properties by 56.1% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 1,800,970 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,721,000 after purchasing an additional 646,960 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Urban Edge Properties by 438.7% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 782,921 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $16,747,000 after purchasing an additional 637,587 shares in the last quarter. 94.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Urban Edge Properties

Urban Edge Properties is a NYSE listed real estate investment trust focused on owning, managing, acquiring, developing, and redeveloping retail real estate in urban communities, primarily in the Washington, DC to Boston corridor. Urban Edge owns 76 properties totaling 17.1 million square feet of gross leasable area.