StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE:HT)

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE:HT – Get Rating) in a research report report published on Thursday. The firm issued a hold rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. B. Riley Financial restated a neutral rating on shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust in a research note on Saturday, February 25th. B. Riley restated a neutral rating on shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust in a research note on Friday, February 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hersha Hospitality Trust has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $11.64.

Hersha Hospitality Trust Stock Performance

HT stock opened at $6.05 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a current ratio of 2.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $240.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 2.02. Hersha Hospitality Trust has a 1 year low of $6.03 and a 1 year high of $12.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $8.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.84.

Hersha Hospitality Trust Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. Hersha Hospitality Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hersha Hospitality Trust

In other Hersha Hospitality Trust news, Director Thomas J. Hutchison III bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.56 per share, with a total value of $42,800.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 151,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,295,290.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 20.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hersha Hospitality Trust

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Natixis lifted its holdings in shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust by 57.1% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis now owns 550,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,368,000 after buying an additional 200,000 shares during the last quarter. Sterneck Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at about $119,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust by 2,823.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 566,697 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,622,000 after buying an additional 547,315 shares during the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P acquired a new stake in shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at about $709,000. Finally, Campbell Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Campbell Capital Management Inc. now owns 148,184 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 9,561 shares during the last quarter. 65.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hersha Hospitality Trust Company Profile

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Hersha Hospitality Trust is a self-advised real estate investment trust in the hospitality sector, which owns and operates hotels in urban gateway markets. Its hotel properties are located in in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, the District of Columbia, Miami, and select markets on the West Coast.