Verition Fund Management LLC Acquires 12,260 Shares of Brixmor Property Group Inc. (NYSE:BRX)

Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brixmor Property Group Inc. (NYSE:BRX) by 54.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 34,888 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,260 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Brixmor Property Group were worth $972,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. PGGM Investments lifted its stake in Brixmor Property Group by 167.2% during the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 3,761,248 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $86,847,000 after purchasing an additional 2,353,582 shares during the period. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in shares of Brixmor Property Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $49,546,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 37.4% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 7,324,870 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $169,131,000 after buying an additional 1,995,299 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Brixmor Property Group in the third quarter valued at $46,695,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Brixmor Property Group by 35.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 5,735,933 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $132,443,000 after acquiring an additional 1,501,282 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Brixmor Property Group Price Performance

Shares of BRX stock opened at $29.74 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $8.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.54, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 1.58. Brixmor Property Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.80 and a 12 month high of $30.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $28.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.05.

Brixmor Property Group (NYSE:BRX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.21). Brixmor Property Group had a return on equity of 11.48% and a net margin of 25.81%. The business had revenue of $320.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $320.22 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Brixmor Property Group Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Brixmor Property Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be paid a $0.287 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.86%. This is an increase from Brixmor Property Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Brixmor Property Group’s dividend payout ratio is 106.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BRX shares. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Brixmor Property Group from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 19th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Brixmor Property Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $30.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Friday. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Brixmor Property Group from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Brixmor Property Group from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Compass Point raised their price target on Brixmor Property Group from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Brixmor Property Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.65.

Insider Transactions at Brixmor Property Group

In related news, insider Steven F. Siegel sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.54, for a total value of $738,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 315,004 shares in the company, valued at $9,305,218.16. This trade represents a 7.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Brixmor Property Group Company Profile

Brixmor (NYSE: BRX) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates a high-quality, national portfolio of open-air shopping centers. Its 362 retail centers comprise approximately 64 million square feet of prime retail space in established trade areas. The Company strives to own and operate shopping centers that reflect Brixmor's vision to be the center of the communities we serve and are home to a diverse mix of thriving national, regional and local retailers.