Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest $VMRK Stock: Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Raises Stake

Key Points

• Rakuten Investment Management increased its VMRK stake by 132.1% in the third quarter, ending with 128,911 shares valued at about $7.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 92.68% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is largely neutral: five analysts rate VMRK a Buy and eleven a Hold, for an overall Hold rating and an average price target of $71.42.
• VMRK’s quarterly dividend equates to an annualized $2.81 per share and a 4.3% yield, though its payout ratio is 122.17%. Company insiders have also sold 58,286 shares worth about $3.74 million over the past 90 days.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest (NYSE:VMRK - Free Report) by 132.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 128,911 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 73,361 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest were worth $7,909,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VMRK. VestGen Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest by 4.7% in the third quarter. VestGen Advisors LLC now owns 5,048 shares of the company's stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Planning Strategies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest by 87.5% during the third quarter. Planning Strategies Inc. now owns 538 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Blume Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in shares of Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest by 47.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,301 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. 92.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on VMRK. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest from $75.00 to $74.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 24th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest from $79.00 to $78.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $71.42.

Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest Price Performance

Shares of VMRK opened at $65.45 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.72. The stock's fifty day moving average is $62.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a current ratio of 0.19. Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest has a 12 month low of $57.57 and a 12 month high of $71.50.

Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest (NYSE:VMRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 27.97%. The company had revenue of $785.05 million for the quarter. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 16th. Investors of record on Monday, October 5th were issued a $0.7025 dividend. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 5th. Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 122.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Edward M. Schulman sold 16,595 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.29, for a total value of $1,066,892.55. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 48,776 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,135,809.04. This trade represents a 25.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles E. Mueller, Jr. sold 8,000 shares of Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.90, for a total transaction of $511,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,027,767.60. This represents a 33.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 58,286 shares of company stock worth $3,735,822. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vivmark Residential Common Shares of Beneficial Interest Profile

Equity Residential is committed to creating communities where people thrive. The Company, a member of the S&P 500, is focused on the acquisition, development and management of residential properties located in and around dynamic cities that attract high quality long-term renters. Equity Residential owns or has investments in 305 properties consisting of 78,568 apartment units, located in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Southern California and Denver.

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