Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT) Stock Rating Raised to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Federal Realty Investment Trust from “sell” to “hold.” Across analysts, the stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $124.88.
• The REIT reported quarterly EPS of $0.74, below the $1.85 consensus estimate, while revenue of $339.02 million exceeded expectations and rose 5.2% year over year.
• Director Nicole Lamb-Hale sold 1,500 shares at an average price of $108.89, reducing her stake by 24.54%.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

FRT has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from $128.00 to $126.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from $123.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 28th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $126.00 to $119.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.88.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:FRT opened at $112.72 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $110.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Federal Realty Investment Trust has a 12-month low of $95.14 and a 12-month high of $128.21. The firm has a market cap of $9.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.54, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.94.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($1.11). Federal Realty Investment Trust had a net margin of 32.60% and a return on equity of 13.76%. The business had revenue of $339.02 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $336.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.77 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Federal Realty Investment Trust will post 7.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Nicole Lamb-Hale sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.89, for a total transaction of $163,335.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $502,309.57. This represents a 24.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FRT. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in Federal Realty Investment Trust in the second quarter worth about $59,832,000. Resolution Capital Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 10.3% during the first quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd now owns 3,644,575 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $387,090,000 after purchasing an additional 340,524 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 693.9% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 382,058 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $40,578,000 after purchasing an additional 333,931 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 265.5% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 370,265 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $40,096,000 after purchasing an additional 268,975 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 90.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 509,498 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $54,114,000 after purchasing an additional 241,684 shares during the period. 93.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Federal Realty Investment Trust

Federal Realty Investment Trust is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust that owns, operates and redevelops high-quality retail and mixed-use properties. Its portfolio includes shopping centers, street retail, and mixed-use developments that combine retail, residential, office and hospitality uses.

The company focuses on densely populated, affluent communities and prominent locations in major metropolitan markets. Its properties are concentrated in regions including the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, California and South Florida, and are leased to a broad range of retailers, restaurants, service providers and other commercial tenants.

Founded in 1962, Federal Realty has developed and managed properties designed to serve both local communities and national retailers.

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