Critical Contrast: Independence Realty Trust (NYSE:IRT) vs. Brixmor Property Group (NYSE:BRX)

Brixmor Property Group (NYSE:BRX) and Independence Realty Trust (NYSE:IRT) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and risk.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Brixmor Property Group and Independence Realty Trust, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Brixmor Property Group	0	4	8	0	2.67
Independence Realty Trust	0	1	6	0	2.86

Brixmor Property Group presently has a consensus target price of $29.38, indicating a potential downside of 2.31%. Independence Realty Trust has a consensus target price of $20.43, indicating a potential downside of 6.46%. Given Brixmor Property Group’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Brixmor Property Group is more favorable than Independence Realty Trust.

Volatility & Risk

Brixmor Property Group has a beta of 1.57, indicating that its share price is 57% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Independence Realty Trust has a beta of 1.17, indicating that its share price is 17% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Brixmor Property Group pays an annual dividend of $1.09 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Independence Realty Trust pays an annual dividend of $0.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Brixmor Property Group pays out 100.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Brixmor Property Group and Independence Realty Trust”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Brixmor Property Group	$1.25 billion	7.30	$305.09 million	$1.08	27.84
Independence Realty Trust	$660.98 million	7.44	-$17.23 million	N/A	N/A

Brixmor Property Group has higher revenue and earnings than Independence Realty Trust.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

98.4% of Brixmor Property Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 88.3% of Independence Realty Trust shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of Brixmor Property Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Independence Realty Trust shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Brixmor Property Group and Independence Realty Trust’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Brixmor Property Group	25.81%	11.48%	3.81%
Independence Realty Trust	-0.03%	-0.01%	N/A

Summary

Brixmor Property Group beats Independence Realty Trust on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Brixmor Property Group

Brixmor (NYSE: BRX) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates a high-quality, national portfolio of open-air shopping centers. Its 362 retail centers comprise approximately 64 million square feet of prime retail space in established trade areas. The Company strives to own and operate shopping centers that reflect Brixmor's vision to be the center of the communities we serve and are home to a diverse mix of thriving national, regional and local retailers. Brixmor is a proud real estate partner to over 5,000 retailers including The TJX Companies, The Kroger Co., Publix Super Markets and Ross Stores.

About Independence Realty Trust

Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: IRT) is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates multifamily communities, across non-gateway U.S. markets including Atlanta, GA, Dallas, TX, Denver, CO, Columbus, OH, Indianapolis, IN, Raleigh-Durham, NC, Oklahoma City, OK, Nashville, TN, Houston, TX, and Tampa, FL. IRT’s investment strategy is focused on gaining scale near major employment centers within key amenity rich submarkets that offer good school districts and high-quality retail. IRT aims to provide stockholders attractive risk-adjusted returns through diligent portfolio management, strong operational performance, and a consistent return on capital through distributions and capital appreciation.