Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) have received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.14.

Several analysts have commented on HR shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Healthcare Realty Trust from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “underweight” rating and set a $17.00 target price (up previously from $16.00) on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wedbush downgraded shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Thursday.

Healthcare Realty Trust Price Performance

HR opened at $16.57 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.56. Healthcare Realty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $12.77 and a fifty-two week high of $18.90. The company has a market cap of $5.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.49 and a beta of 0.94.

Healthcare Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.48%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Healthcare Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -78.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Robert E. Hull sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.48, for a total transaction of $174,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 171,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,996,072. This trade represents a 5.51 % 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 hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas N. Bohjalian purchased 7,750 shares of Healthcare Realty Trust stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.39 per share, with a total value of $134,772.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 50,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $869,534.78. The trade was a 18.34 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders acquired 18,750 shares of company stock valued at $323,723. 0.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HR. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 38.1% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,276 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 260.6% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,030 shares during the period. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in the third quarter valued at $65,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in the third quarter valued at $78,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in the third quarter valued at about $89,000.

Healthcare Realty Trust Company Profile

Healthcare Realty (NYSE: HR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates medical outpatient buildings primarily located around market-leading hospital campuses. The Company selectively grows its portfolio through property acquisition and development. As the first and largest REIT to specialize in medical outpatient buildings, Healthcare Realty's portfolio includes more than 700 properties totaling over 40 million square feet concentrated in 15 growth markets.