Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE:BXP) Short Interest Update

Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE:BXP) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,840,000 shares, a decrease of 6.9% from the August 15th total of 6,270,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,190,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.9 days.

Boston Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BXP opened at $82.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.83, a quick ratio of 4.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. Boston Properties has a 1-year low of $50.64 and a 1-year high of $83.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $71.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.26.

Boston Properties (NYSE:BXP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by ($1.21). Boston Properties had a return on equity of 2.05% and a net margin of 5.01%. The business had revenue of $850.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $819.49 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.86 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Boston Properties will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Boston Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. Boston Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 321.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BXP shares. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Boston Properties from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 24th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Boston Properties in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Boston Properties from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Boston Properties from $77.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wedbush boosted their price objective on Boston Properties from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Boston Properties

In related news, EVP Raymond A. Ritchey sold 21,835 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.25, for a total value of $1,621,248.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Raymond A. Ritchey sold 21,835 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.25, for a total value of $1,621,248.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Peter V. Otteni sold 4,785 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.44, for a total transaction of $351,410.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.35% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Boston Properties

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Earnest Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Boston Properties by 25.9% in the 2nd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,637,235 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $162,348,000 after buying an additional 542,610 shares during the period. Centersquare Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Boston Properties by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 1,986,707 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $139,407,000 after acquiring an additional 468,950 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Boston Properties by 32.9% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,503,687 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $92,567,000 after purchasing an additional 371,946 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Boston Properties by 206.6% during the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 508,961 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,240,000 after purchasing an additional 342,939 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Boston Properties during the 4th quarter valued at about $18,828,000. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Boston Properties Company Profile

Boston Properties, Inc (NYSE: BXP) (BXP or the Company) is the largest publicly traded developer, owner, and manager of premier workplaces in the United States, concentrated in six dynamic gateway markets – Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. BXP has delivered places that power progress for our clients and communities for more than 50 years.