Nicola Wealth Management LTD. Acquires Shares of 22,500 Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG)

Nicola Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new stake in Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 22,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,663,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Regency Centers by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,328,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,147,000 after buying an additional 15,975 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Regency Centers by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in Regency Centers by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 24,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,800,000 after buying an additional 2,131 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in Regency Centers by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $620,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wakefield Asset Management LLLP purchased a new stake in Regency Centers in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $504,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Regency Centers Stock Performance

NASDAQ REG opened at $77.74 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $72.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.86. Regency Centers Co. has a twelve month low of $56.51 and a twelve month high of $77.92. The company has a market capitalization of $14.10 billion, a PE ratio of 36.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.61. Regency Centers had a return on equity of 5.91% and a net margin of 27.54%. On average, research analysts predict that Regency Centers Co. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Regency Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.705 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. Regency Centers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Lisa Palmer sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.26, for a total value of $1,831,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 139,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,250,758.98. This trade represents a 15.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Michael J. Mas sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.60, for a total value of $1,472,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 54,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,975,872. This trade represents a 27.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on REG. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Regency Centers from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Regency Centers from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Regency Centers from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.08.

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.