StockNews.com Upgrades Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) to “Hold”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Several other research firms also recently commented on HR. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Wedbush upgraded Healthcare Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.00.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of HR opened at $15.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.71 and a beta of 0.85. Healthcare Realty Trust has a 52 week low of $14.13 and a 52 week high of $18.90. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.87.

Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $309.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $303.81 million. Healthcare Realty Trust had a negative return on equity of 11.20% and a negative net margin of 51.60%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.39 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Healthcare Realty Trust will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Healthcare Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.00%. Healthcare Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -69.66%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 59.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 130.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,635 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 925 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000.

About Healthcare Realty Trust

Healthcare Realty Trust, Inc provides real estate investment services. It owns, leases, manages, acquires, finances, develops, and redevelops income-producing real estate properties associated primarily with the delivery of outpatient healthcare services throughout the United States of America. The company was founded by David R.