Brixmor Property Group Inc. (NYSE:BRX) Shares Bought by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Brixmor Property Group Inc. (NYSE:BRX) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,688,070 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,719 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 3.54% of Brixmor Property Group worth $297,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Brixmor Property Group by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,122,101 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $59,079,000 after purchasing an additional 430,802 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Brixmor Property Group by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 407,688 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $11,350,000 after acquiring an additional 15,270 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Brixmor Property Group in the fourth quarter worth about $2,741,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Brixmor Property Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $110,205,000. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new position in shares of Brixmor Property Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $283,000. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Brixmor Property Group Stock Down 0.2 %

Brixmor Property Group stock opened at $26.49 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $26.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.53. The firm has a market cap of $8.10 billion, a PE ratio of 23.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.59. Brixmor Property Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $20.80 and a twelve month high of $30.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Brixmor Property Group (NYSE:BRX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.31. Brixmor Property Group had a net margin of 26.40% and a return on equity of 11.72%. On average, research analysts predict that Brixmor Property Group Inc. will post 2.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brixmor Property Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.34%. This is a positive change from Brixmor Property Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Brixmor Property Group’s payout ratio is currently 103.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BRX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Brixmor Property Group from $31.75 to $31.25 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Evercore ISI upgraded Brixmor Property Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $31.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Brixmor Property Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $28.00 to $33.00 in a report on Friday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Brixmor Property Group from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price target on Brixmor Property Group from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.48.

Brixmor Property Group Company Profile

Brixmor Property Group, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust, which engages in owning and operating a portfolio of grocery anchored community and neighborhood shopping centers. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, NY.