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

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

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

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of HR stock opened at $16.95 on Thursday. Healthcare Realty Trust has a 52 week low of $12.77 and a 52 week high of $18.90. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $17.55 and a 200-day moving average of $17.55. The company has a market cap of $6.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.73 and a beta of 0.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Healthcare Realty Trust news, COO Robert E. Hull sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.48, for a total value of $174,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 171,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,996,072. The trade was a 5.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas N. Bohjalian purchased 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $17.39 per share, with a total value of $134,772.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 50,002 shares in the company, valued at $869,534.78. The trade was a 18.34 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 18,750 shares of company stock valued at $323,723 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HR. Pzena Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,392,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Healthcare Realty Trust by 358.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,142,110 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,879,000 after acquiring an additional 1,674,583 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,304,000. Candriam S.C.A. bought a new position in Healthcare Realty Trust in the second quarter worth $8,911,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 1,003.2% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 435,977 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $7,185,000 after acquiring an additional 396,456 shares in the last quarter.

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.