Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) Downgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to Hold

Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) was downgraded by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. They presently have a $17.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock, down from their prior price target of $19.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 0.29% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, December 20th. Wedbush lowered Healthcare Realty Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $17.00 target price (up previously from $16.00) on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Healthcare Realty Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.14.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE HR opened at $16.95 on Thursday. Healthcare Realty Trust has a one year low of $12.77 and a one year high of $18.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $17.55 and a 200 day moving average of $17.55. The company has a market capitalization of $6.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.73 and a beta of 0.93.

Insider Activity at Healthcare Realty Trust

In related news, Director Thomas N. Bohjalian bought 7,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $17.39 per share, for a total transaction of $134,772.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 50,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $869,534.78. The trade was a 18.34 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Peter F. Sr Lyle, Sr. purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $17.21 per share, with a total value of $172,100.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,372.96. This trade represents a 60.33 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 18,750 shares of company stock worth $323,723. Insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Healthcare Realty Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HR. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 38.1% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,276 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Healthcare Realty Trust during the second quarter worth $556,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 18.5% during the 2nd quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 32,050 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $528,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 35.1% in the 2nd quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. now owns 80,750 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,331,000 after acquiring an additional 21,000 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 81,598 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,345,000 after acquiring an additional 848 shares in the last quarter.

Healthcare Realty Trust Company Profile

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.