Employees Retirement System of Texas Increases Stake in Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG)

Employees Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) by 35.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 162,060 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 42,000 shares during the quarter. Regency Centers accounts for 0.6% of Employees Retirement System of Texas’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Employees Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Regency Centers were worth $119,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Regency Centers in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. National Pension Service acquired a new stake in Regency Centers in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Regency Centers in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Regency Centers by 4,400.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 855 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Regency Centers by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Regency Centers Stock Down 4.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ REG opened at $68.77 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $12.48 billion, a PE ratio of 32.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 1.03. Regency Centers Co. has a 52-week low of $56.51 and a 52-week high of $78.18. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $73.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Regency Centers Co. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Regency Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $0.705 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.10%. Regency Centers’s payout ratio is 133.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on REG. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Regency Centers from $80.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, 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. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $78.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Lisa Palmer sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.26, for a total transaction 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 $10,250,758.98. This represents a 15.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Martin E. Stein, Jr. sold 50,000 shares of Regency Centers stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.48, for a total transaction of $3,674,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 110,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,102,125.24. This trade represents a 31.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 95,000 shares of company stock valued at $6,977,500. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

About Regency Centers

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.