Lazard Asset Management LLC Raises Position in Brixmor Property Group Inc. (NYSE:BRX)

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Brixmor Property Group Inc. (NYSE:BRX) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 245,697 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 3,990 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Brixmor Property Group were worth $5,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC bought a new position in Brixmor Property Group in the fourth quarter valued at $851,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Brixmor Property Group in the fourth quarter valued at $1,572,000. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in Brixmor Property Group by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,904,192 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $44,311,000 after acquiring an additional 89,445 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in Brixmor Property Group by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 185,880 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,325,000 after acquiring an additional 40,675 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 115.8% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 136,678 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,205,000 after buying an additional 73,335 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Brixmor Property Group Stock Performance

Brixmor Property Group stock opened at $24.65 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $22.82 and a 200-day moving average of $22.56. The firm has a market cap of $7.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.41, a P/E/G ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 1.57. Brixmor Property Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.46 and a 1-year high of $24.97.

Brixmor Property Group (NYSE:BRX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by ($0.22). Brixmor Property Group had a return on equity of 9.84% and a net margin of 22.47%. The firm had revenue of $320.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $314.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Brixmor Property Group Inc. will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brixmor Property Group news, insider Steven F. Siegel sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.00, for a total value of $240,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 360,004 shares in the company, valued at $8,640,096. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BRX shares. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Brixmor Property Group from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Brixmor Property Group from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. StockNews.com raised Brixmor Property Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Brixmor Property Group from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brixmor Property Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.13.

About Brixmor Property Group

Brixmor (NYSE: BRX) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates a high-quality, national portfolio of open-air shopping centers. Its 362 retail centers comprise approximately 64 million square feet of prime retail space in established trade areas. The Company strives to own and operate shopping centers that reflect Brixmor's vision to be the center of the communities we serve and are home to a diverse mix of thriving national, regional and local retailers.