Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) Short Interest Update

Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,920,000 shares, an increase of 23.0% from the November 30th total of 4,000,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,050,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.7 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Regency Centers in a report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $80.00 target price for the company. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Regency Centers from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Regency Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.42.

Regency Centers Price Performance

REG traded up $0.52 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $73.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,020,327 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,106,071. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.51. Regency Centers has a twelve month low of $56.51 and a twelve month high of $76.53.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.50). The company had revenue of $360.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $355.17 million. Regency Centers had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 5.85%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.02 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Regency Centers will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Regency Centers Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.705 per share. This is a positive change from Regency Centers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Regency Centers’s payout ratio is 132.39%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in REG. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in Regency Centers by 25,250.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its holdings in shares of Regency Centers by 300.0% during the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 800 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in Regency Centers by 126.5% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Regency Centers during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Regency Centers during the third quarter worth $96,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Regency Centers Company Profile

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.