328,981 Shares in Federal Realty Investment Trust $FRT Purchased by Strs Ohio

Key Points

• Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Federal Realty Investment Trust during the first quarter, purchasing 328,981 shares valued at approximately $32.18 million, increasing its ownership to 0.38% of the company.
• Federal Realty Investment Trust reported earnings of $1.91 per share for the latest quarter, surpassing expectations, and announced a dividend increase to $1.13 per share.
• Several analysts have recently upgraded their ratings on Federal Realty Investment Trust, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $109.31.

Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 328,981 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $32,181,000. Strs Ohio owned 0.38% of Federal Realty Investment Trust at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Resolution Capital Ltd increased its position in shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd now owns 3,523,155 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $394,417,000 after purchasing an additional 389,266 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,302,823 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $127,442,000 after buying an additional 17,634 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,279,688 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $125,179,000 after buying an additional 44,935 shares in the last quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 16.2% in the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 1,211,041 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $118,464,000 after purchasing an additional 169,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rush Island Management LP boosted its stake in Federal Realty Investment Trust by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Rush Island Management LP now owns 1,188,734 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $133,079,000 after purchasing an additional 182,120 shares in the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Barclays reduced their price objective on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $106.00 to $105.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Federal Realty Investment Trust to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Federal Realty Investment Trust in a research report on Monday, May 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Federal Realty Investment Trust from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.31.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE FRT traded up $0.44 on Wednesday, reaching $100.35. The company had a trading volume of 228,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 771,926. The stock's 50 day moving average is $96.33 and its 200-day moving average is $95.63. The stock has a market cap of $8.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.39, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 2.14, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Federal Realty Investment Trust has a 52 week low of $80.65 and a 52 week high of $118.09.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $302.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $309.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Federal Realty Investment Trust will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Federal Realty Investment Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. This is an increase from Federal Realty Investment Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Federal Realty Investment Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently 111.39%.

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.