Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) Short Interest Up 22.8% in March

Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,750,000 shares, an increase of 22.8% from the March 15th total of 2,240,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,250,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on REG shares. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Regency Centers in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Regency Centers from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Regency Centers from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $62.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, December 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Regency Centers in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $74.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Regency Centers from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $71.00 in a report on Monday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Regency Centers has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.80.

Regency Centers Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:REG traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $58.49. The stock had a trading volume of 1,985,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,147,250. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Regency Centers has a 1-year low of $54.72 and a 1-year high of $68.47. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.73. The company has a market cap of $10.81 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 1.16.

Regency Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.58%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 12th. Regency Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 131.37%.

Institutional Trading of Regency Centers

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of REG. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Regency Centers by 46.2% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 18,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,309,000 after acquiring an additional 5,833 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Regency Centers during the first quarter worth approximately $243,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Regency Centers by 24.0% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 42,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,012,000 after buying an additional 8,175 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Regency Centers by 125.3% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,723 shares of the company’s stock worth $765,000 after buying an additional 5,964 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in shares of Regency Centers by 6.6% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 20,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,471,000 after buying an additional 1,277 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

About Regency Centers

Regency Centers is a preeminent national owner, operator, and developer of shopping centers located in suburban trade areas with compelling demographics. Our portfolio includes thriving properties merchandised with highly productive grocers, restaurants, service providers, and best-in-class retailers that connect to their neighborhoods, communities, and customers.