Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE:SPG) Shares Acquired by Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE:SPG) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 35,953 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,356 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Simon Property Group were worth $6,191,000 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 SPG. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Simon Property Group by 617.5% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,191,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $539,393,000 after purchasing an additional 2,746,503 shares during the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Simon Property Group during the fourth quarter worth $109,403,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of Simon Property Group by 170.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 880,309 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $151,597,000 after purchasing an additional 554,605 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Simon Property Group by 22,608.6% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 542,281 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $93,386,000 after purchasing an additional 539,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its holdings in shares of Simon Property Group by 295.3% during the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 655,300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $110,759,000 after purchasing an additional 489,519 shares during the last quarter. 93.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Simon Property Group Stock Down 1.4 %

SPG stock opened at $162.12 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.33, a P/E/G ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.78. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $176.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $174.30. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.19. Simon Property Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.25 and a 52 week high of $190.14.

Simon Property Group (NYSE:SPG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $1.70. Simon Property Group had a net margin of 41.49% and a return on equity of 74.02%. Equities analysts forecast that Simon Property Group, Inc. will post 12.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Simon Property Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.18%. Simon Property Group’s payout ratio is presently 115.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SPG. StockNews.com raised shares of Simon Property Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Simon Property Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $179.00 to $198.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Simon Property Group from $158.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Simon Property Group in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Scotiabank set a $186.00 price objective on shares of Simon Property Group in a report on Friday, February 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $180.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Simon Property Group

In other news, Director Reuben S. Leibowitz bought 465 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $168.59 per share, for a total transaction of $78,394.35. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 55,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,427,384.21. This trade represents a 0.84 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Simon Property Group

Simon Property Group, Inc (NYSE:SPG) is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). Simon Property Group, L.P., or the Operating Partnership, is our majority-owned partnership subsidiary that owns all of our real estate properties and other assets. In this package, the terms Simon, we, our, or the Company refer to Simon Property Group, Inc, the Operating Partnership, and its subsidiaries.