Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Cuts Holdings in Brixmor Property Group Inc. (NYSE:BRX)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund decreased its holdings in Brixmor Property Group Inc. (NYSE:BRX) by 70.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 134,006 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Brixmor Property Group were worth $1,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,662,863 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,070,794,000 after acquiring an additional 165,572 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 14,985,745 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $348,718,000 after buying an additional 2,067,135 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,915,844 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $254,012,000 after buying an additional 394,158 shares during the last quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 8,467,936 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $197,049,000 after buying an additional 1,016,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,713,236 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $109,677,000 after buying an additional 123,284 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Brixmor Property Group from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Brixmor Property Group from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Brixmor Property Group from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Brixmor Property Group from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Brixmor Property Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brixmor Property Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $25.13.

Brixmor Property Group Stock Performance

NYSE:BRX traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $24.20. The company had a trading volume of 1,894,805 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,349,815. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.45. Brixmor Property Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.46 and a 1-year high of $24.97. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $22.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.54. The firm has a market cap of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 1.57.

Brixmor Property Group (NYSE:BRX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.22). Brixmor Property Group had a net margin of 22.47% and a return on equity of 9.84%. The firm had revenue of $320.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $314.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Brixmor Property Group Inc. will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Brixmor Property Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 2nd were given a dividend of $0.2725 per share. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 2nd. Brixmor Property Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 117.21%.

Insider Activity at Brixmor Property Group

In other Brixmor Property Group news, insider Steven F. Siegel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.00, for a total transaction of $240,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 360,004 shares in the company, valued at $8,640,096. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.