Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 12,291 Shares of Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Regency Centers Co. (NASDAQ:REG) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 272,177 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 12,291 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.15% of Regency Centers worth $20,122,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Regency Centers by 104.1% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,442,000 after buying an additional 10,221 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Regency Centers during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,499,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Regency Centers by 196.1% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 36,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,680,000 after purchasing an additional 24,003 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Regency Centers by 47.3% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 29,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,121,000 after purchasing an additional 9,424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Regency Centers by 9.3% in the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 105,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,615,000 after purchasing an additional 8,959 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Regency Centers from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Regency Centers from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Regency Centers from $80.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $78.00.

Regency Centers Stock Performance

Regency Centers stock opened at $72.87 on Friday. Regency Centers Co. has a fifty-two week low of $56.51 and a fifty-two week high of $78.18. The stock has a market cap of $13.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.37, a PEG ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $72.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Regency Centers (NASDAQ:REG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.61. Regency Centers had a return on equity of 5.91% and a net margin of 27.54%. As a group, analysts expect that Regency Centers Co. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Regency Centers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.705 per share. This represents a $2.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. Regency Centers’s payout ratio is currently 133.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Michael J. Mas sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.60, for a total value of $1,472,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 54,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,975,872. This represents a 27.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Martin E. Stein, Jr. sold 50,000 shares of Regency Centers stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.48, for a total value of $3,674,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 110,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,102,125.24. This represents a 31.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 95,000 shares of company stock worth $6,977,500. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Regency Centers Company Profile

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.