Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $14.88 and last traded at $14.78, with a volume of 20436 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.73.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Whitestone REIT in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Truist Financial raised their price target on Whitestone REIT from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Whitestone REIT in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.00.

Whitestone REIT Trading Up 0.7 %

The stock has a market cap of $751.65 million, a PE ratio of 35.93, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.26. The company’s fifty day moving average is $13.96 and its 200-day moving average is $13.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 2.17.

Whitestone REIT Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.0413 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Whitestone REIT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 121.95%.

Insider Transactions at Whitestone REIT

In other Whitestone REIT news, Director Julia Bruns Buthman purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.99 per share, for a total transaction of $64,950.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 8,093 shares in the company, valued at $105,128.07. This trade represents a 161.66 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 5.50% of the company’s stock.

About Whitestone REIT

Whitestone REIT (NYSE: WSR) is a community-centered real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, owns, operates, and develops open-air, retail centers located in some of the fastest growing markets in the country: Phoenix, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Our centers are convenience focused: merchandised with a mix of service-oriented tenants providing food (restaurants and grocers), self-care (health and fitness), services (financial and logistics), education and entertainment to the surrounding communities.