Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 171,720 Shares of Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,708,154 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 171,720 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.71% of Healthcare Realty Trust worth $46,717,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Provence Wealth Management Group purchased a new stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in the third quarter worth $25,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 106.0% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,854 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 954 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 47.4% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,933 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 622 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:HR opened at $14.24 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $13.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.07. Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated has a 12 month low of $12.77 and a 12 month high of $20.32.

Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.51). The business had revenue of $330.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $334.32 million. Healthcare Realty Trust had a negative net margin of 20.71% and a negative return on equity of 3.87%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.42 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Healthcare Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Healthcare Realty Trust’s payout ratio is currently -167.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on HR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Wedbush lowered shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $19.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Healthcare Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Healthcare Realty Trust from $18.00 to $15.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut Healthcare Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $19.00 to $15.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.20.

About Healthcare Realty Trust

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.