Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) Shares Down 0.9% – Time to Sell?

Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) was down 0.9% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $65.98 and last traded at $68.18. Approximately 465,357 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 1,061,115 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

REG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $80.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $78.00.

Regency Centers Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $12.65 billion, a PE ratio of 32.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $72.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Regency Centers Co. will post 4.54 EPS for the current year.

Regency Centers Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $0.705 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.05%. Regency Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.02%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michael J. Mas sold 20,000 shares of Regency Centers stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.60, for a total transaction of $1,472,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 54,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,975,872. The trade was a 27.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Martin E. Stein, Jr. sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.48, for a total value of $3,674,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 110,263 shares in the company, valued at $8,102,125.24. This trade represents a 31.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 95,000 shares of company stock worth $6,977,500 in the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Regency Centers

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of REG. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Regency Centers by 47.3% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 29,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,121,000 after purchasing an additional 9,424 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Regency Centers by 25.0% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 16,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,211,000 after acquiring an additional 3,352 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in shares of Regency Centers by 701.7% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 361,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,118,000 after acquiring an additional 316,496 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Regency Centers by 14.7% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 9,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Regency Centers during the third quarter valued at $953,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

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.