Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) Reaches New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after B. Riley Financial upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a buy rating. B. Riley Financial now has a $18.00 price target on the stock. Whitestone REIT traded as high as $15.75 and last traded at $15.75, with a volume of 8904 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.02.

Several other brokerages have also commented on WSR. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Whitestone REIT to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Maxim Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Whitestone REIT in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Whitestone REIT from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Whitestone REIT in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Whitestone REIT in a report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.80.

Whitestone REIT Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $815.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.82 and a beta of 0.77. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.15. Whitestone REIT had a net margin of 31.04% and a return on equity of 11.23%. The company had revenue of $43.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $41.27 million. Whitestone REIT has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.100-1.140 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Whitestone REIT will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Whitestone REIT Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.1425 dividend. This represents a $0.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Whitestone REIT’s payout ratio is currently 43.16%.

Whitestone REIT declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, December 19th that permits the company to repurchase $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 7.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

About Whitestone REIT

Whitestone REIT is a real estate investment trust headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, that specializes in the acquisition, development and management of retail and mixed-use properties. The company’s portfolio is concentrated in high-growth Texas markets, including the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, where it primarily owns open-air neighborhood and community shopping centers. Whitestone REIT focuses on convenience- and necessity-based retail, partnering with grocers, fitness operators, service providers and other essential tenants to drive consistent foot traffic and stable occupancy.

In addition to property ownership, Whitestone REIT provides asset and property management services, leasing expertise and development capabilities.