Stag Industrial (NYSE:STAG) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Stag Industrial, Inc. (NYSE:STAG)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $39.59 and last traded at $39.53, with a volume of 240957 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $38.93.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on STAG shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Stag Industrial from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Stag Industrial in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Stag Industrial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Stag Industrial in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Stag Industrial from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.89.

Stag Industrial Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.39 billion, a PE ratio of 30.43 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $37.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.35.

Stag Industrial (NYSE:STAG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $211.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $210.26 million. Stag Industrial had a net margin of 29.24% and a return on equity of 6.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Stag Industrial, Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Stag Industrial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.1242 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. Stag Industrial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 114.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Benjamin S. Butcher sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.91, for a total transaction of $922,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,562 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $279,113.42. This trade represents a 76.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Larry T. Guillemette sold 2,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.20, for a total value of $70,540.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 38,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,361,043.20. This represents a 4.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 40,148 shares of company stock valued at $1,502,621 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in STAG. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Stag Industrial by 2,183.9% in the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 708 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Stag Industrial in the third quarter worth $27,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Stag Industrial during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in Stag Industrial during the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Keystone Global Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Stag Industrial during the first quarter valued at about $41,000. 88.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Stag Industrial

STAG Industrial, Inc is a real estate investment company, which engages in acquiring, owning, and managing single-tenant, industrial real estate assets. It offers industrial real estate operating platform to real estate ownership. The company was founded by Benjamin S. Butcher on July 21, 2010 and is headquartered in Boston, MA.