Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) Short Interest Update

Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,680,000 shares, a growth of 29.8% from the October 31st total of 11,310,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,610,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $17.00 price target (up previously from $16.00) on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on Healthcare Realty Trust from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Healthcare Realty Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Healthcare Realty Trust

In related news, Director John Knox Singleton acquired 6,500 shares of Healthcare Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.24 per share, for a total transaction of $118,560.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 57,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,041,175.68. This trade represents a 12.85 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Thomas N. Bohjalian bought 7,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $17.39 per share, for a total transaction of $134,772.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 50,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $869,534.78. This trade represents a 18.34 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Healthcare Realty Trust by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,856,286 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $96,513,000 after purchasing an additional 395,243 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Healthcare Realty Trust by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 4,784,186 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $78,843,000 after acquiring an additional 301,747 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Healthcare Realty Trust by 5.1% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,492,116 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $74,030,000 after purchasing an additional 216,662 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 2,367,735 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $39,020,000 after acquiring an additional 103,259 shares during the period. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the third quarter worth $40,392,000.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Up 1.3 %

HR stock traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $18.56. 2,124,802 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,517,137. Healthcare Realty Trust has a 52 week low of $12.77 and a 52 week high of $18.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.58 billion, a PE ratio of -11.59 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a 50-day moving average of $17.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.36.

Healthcare Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.68%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Healthcare Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -78.48%.

About Healthcare Realty Trust

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.