Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $18.84 and last traded at $18.75, with a volume of 4919 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $18.60.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Healthcare Realty Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Healthcare Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $23.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Scotiabank raised Healthcare Realty Trust from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $18.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Healthcare Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.75.

Healthcare Realty Trust Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $17.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.25. The company has a market cap of $6.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.09 and a beta of 0.96.

Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $287.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $290.83 million. Healthcare Realty Trust had a negative net margin of 32.95% and a negative return on equity of 7.70%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. Healthcare Realty Trust has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.570-1.610 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Healthcare Realty Trust Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.2%. Healthcare Realty Trust’s payout ratio is presently -83.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Healthcare Realty Trust

In related news, Director Thomas N. Bohjalian acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.46 per share, for a total transaction of $164,600.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 75,520 shares in the company, valued at $1,243,059.20. This trade represents a 15.26% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Julie F. Wilson sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $270,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 113,419 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,041,542. This represents a 11.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Healthcare Realty Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HR. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Healthcare Realty Trust during the first quarter worth about $26,000. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust during the second quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in the first quarter worth approximately $48,000.

About Healthcare Realty Trust

Healthcare Realty Trust, Inc provides real estate investment services. It owns, leases, manages, acquires, finances, develops, and redevelops income-producing real estate properties associated primarily with the delivery of outpatient healthcare services throughout the United States of America. The company was founded by David R.