Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) have been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the five ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.00.

A number of research firms recently commented on HR. Wedbush upgraded Healthcare Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Healthcare Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE HR opened at $15.24 on Friday. Healthcare Realty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $14.53 and a fifty-two week high of $18.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.56 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $16.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.84.

Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39. Healthcare Realty Trust had a negative net margin of 51.60% and a negative return on equity of 11.20%. The firm had revenue of $288.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $297.39 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. Healthcare Realty Trust’s quarterly revenue was down 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Healthcare Realty Trust will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

Healthcare Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.14%. Healthcare Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently -69.66%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Healthcare Realty Trust

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HR. Starboard Value LP acquired a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $342,110,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in Healthcare Realty Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $100,817,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,825,000. Rush Island Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. Rush Island Management LP now owns 15,681,440 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $265,800,000 after purchasing an additional 2,747,848 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the 4th quarter worth $39,337,000.

About Healthcare Realty Trust

Healthcare Realty Trust, Inc provides real estate investment services. It owns, leases, manages, acquires, finances, develops, and redevelops income-producing real estate properties associated primarily with the delivery of outpatient healthcare services throughout the United States of America. The company was founded by David R.