Community Healthcare Trust (NYSE:CHCT) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated (NYSE:CHCT) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $18.66 and last traded at $18.6150, with a volume of 14237 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.38.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Community Healthcare Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Community Healthcare Trust from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on Community Healthcare Trust from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Community Healthcare Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.33.

Community Healthcare Trust Trading Up 0.8%

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.00. The company has a market cap of $529.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 168.38 and a beta of 0.71.

Community Healthcare Trust (NYSE:CHCT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by ($0.03). Community Healthcare Trust had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 1.41%. The firm had revenue of $31.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.03 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated will post 1.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Community Healthcare Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.48 dividend. This is a boost from Community Healthcare Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.4%. Community Healthcare Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 1,745.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Community Healthcare Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CHCT. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Community Healthcare Trust by 18.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 43,689 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $793,000 after acquiring an additional 6,856 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Community Healthcare Trust during the first quarter valued at $231,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Community Healthcare Trust by 1.5% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 252,492 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,585,000 after purchasing an additional 3,697 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in Community Healthcare Trust by 339.7% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 89,755 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,630,000 after purchasing an additional 69,343 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning purchased a new stake in Community Healthcare Trust in the second quarter valued at $196,000. 87.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Community Healthcare Trust

Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated (NYSE:CHCT) is a real estate investment trust that specializes in owning and leasing healthcare-related properties. The company’s portfolio is focused primarily on senior housing and care facilities, including skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, memory care units, independent living apartments and continuing care retirement communities. Through long‐term, triple‐net leases, Community Healthcare Trust seeks stable, predictable cash flows by partnering with experienced operators that manage day-to-day resident care and property operations.

As of the latest reporting, Community Healthcare Trust’s holdings span multiple regions across the United States, with properties located in both urban and suburban markets.