Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE) Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service trimmed its holdings in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 229,899 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 15,221 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities were worth $22,427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 144.0% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 305 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 3,129.4% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 549 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. 96.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on ARE. StockNews.com raised Alexandria Real Estate Equities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $125.00 to $114.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $137.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $104.00 target price on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alexandria Real Estate Equities currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $121.30.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Stock Performance

NYSE ARE opened at $102.48 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $17.74 billion, a PE ratio of 56.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.25 and a twelve month high of $130.14. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.39.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE:ARE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $1.48. Alexandria Real Estate Equities had a return on equity of 1.43% and a net margin of 10.36%. Equities analysts anticipate that Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $1.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Alexandria Real Estate Equities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.15%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 293.33%.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the real estate investment trust to purchase up to 2.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Profile

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc (NYSE: ARE), an S&P 500 company, is a best-in-class, mission-driven life science REIT making a positive and lasting impact on the world. As the pioneer of the life science real estate niche since our founding in 1994, Alexandria is the preeminent and longest-tenured owner, operator, and developer of collaborative life science, agtech, and advanced technology mega campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, including Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle.