Virtu Financial LLC Buys Shares of 3,121 Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $231,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Regency Centers by 1.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,768,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $857,892,000 after acquiring an additional 131,300 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Regency Centers by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,090,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $801,056,000 after purchasing an additional 435,932 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Regency Centers by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,182,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $678,873,000 after buying an additional 366,427 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in Regency Centers by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,015,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $296,837,000 after buying an additional 259,748 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Regency Centers by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,328,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,147,000 after buying an additional 15,975 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Regency Centers

In related news, Chairman Martin E. Stein, Jr. sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.48, for a total value of $3,674,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 110,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,102,125.24. The trade was a 31.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lisa Palmer sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.26, for a total value of $1,831,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 139,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,250,758.98. This represents a 15.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 95,000 shares of company stock valued at $6,977,500 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Regency Centers Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of REG opened at $72.87 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $73.12 and its 200 day moving average is $72.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Regency Centers Co. has a 12-month low of $56.51 and a 12-month high of $78.18. The company has a market capitalization of $13.22 billion, a PE ratio of 34.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 1.23.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.61. Regency Centers had a net margin of 27.54% and a return on equity of 5.91%. Research analysts expect that Regency Centers Co. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Regency Centers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $0.705 dividend. This represents a $2.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. Regency Centers’s payout ratio is currently 133.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

REG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Regency Centers from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Regency Centers from $80.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Regency Centers currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $78.00.

About Regency Centers

Regency Centers is a preeminent national owner, operator, and developer of shopping centers located in suburban trade areas with compelling demographics. Our portfolio includes thriving properties merchandised with highly productive grocers, restaurants, service providers, and best-in-class retailers that connect to their neighborhoods, communities, and customers.