Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $17.58, but opened at $18.10. Healthcare Realty Trust shares last traded at $18.25, with a volume of 768,161 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on HR shares. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $17.00 price target (up from $16.00) on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.17.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $17.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.70 and a beta of 0.91.

Healthcare Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.71%. Healthcare Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -78.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Healthcare Realty Trust

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Healthcare Realty Trust

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 3.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 180,958 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,160,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $78,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $194,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 116.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 722,582 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $13,117,000 after purchasing an additional 388,305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $849,000.

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.