Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT) Raised to Strong-Buy at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

Key Points

• Federal Realty Investment Trust has been upgraded to a "strong-buy" rating by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH, indicating increased confidence from analysts in the company's performance.
• Multiple brokerages have updated their price targets, with varying assessments; however, the average target price remains at $109.31 with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
• In the most recent quarterly earnings report, Federal Realty Investment Trust delivered an earnings per share of $1.91, surpassing analysts' expectations and showing a year-over-year revenue growth of 5.2%.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, September 9th,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on FRT. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Federal Realty Investment Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $118.00 to $103.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $109.31.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Trading Down 1.1%

FRT traded down $1.11 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $99.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 172,628 shares, compared to its average volume of 773,215. Federal Realty Investment Trust has a fifty-two week low of $80.65 and a fifty-two week high of $118.09. The stock has a market cap of $8.62 billion, a PE ratio of 25.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 1.16. The business's 50-day moving average is $96.21 and its 200-day moving average is $95.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 2.14.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.18. Federal Realty Investment Trust had a return on equity of 11.19% and a net margin of 28.01%.The firm had revenue of $302.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $309.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.69 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Federal Realty Investment Trust will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Federal Realty Investment Trust

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FRT. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 99,426 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $11,131,000 after acquiring an additional 19,408 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,743 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $307,000 after acquiring an additional 654 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,415 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 24,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,687,000 after purchasing an additional 3,249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. increased its stake in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 6,426 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $719,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Federal Realty Investment Trust

Federal Realty Investment Trust is an equity real estate investment trust, which engages in the provision of ownership, management, and redevelopment of retail and mixed-use properties located primarily in communities where demand exceeds supply in strategically selected metropolitan markets. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in North Bethesda, MD.