Wall Street Zen Upgrades Stag Industrial (NYSE:STAG) to Hold

Stag Industrial (NYSE:STAG) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on STAG. Robert W. Baird upgraded Stag Industrial from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $42.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Stag Industrial from $38.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Stag Industrial in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Stag Industrial in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $44.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Stag Industrial from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.70.

Stag Industrial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE STAG opened at $37.68 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.98 and a beta of 0.95. Stag Industrial has a fifty-two week low of $34.40 and a fifty-two week high of $42.61.

Stag Industrial (NYSE:STAG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.65 by ($0.37). Stag Industrial had a return on equity of 6.79% and a net margin of 28.04%.The company had revenue of $224.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $223.04 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Stag Industrial will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Stag Industrial in the 2nd quarter worth $1,097,126,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Stag Industrial by 3,696.2% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,409,395 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $320,062,000 after purchasing an additional 8,187,875 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Stag Industrial in the fourth quarter valued at $295,644,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Stag Industrial in the second quarter valued at $58,805,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Stag Industrial in the 2nd quarter valued at $55,184,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.67% of the company’s stock.

About Stag Industrial

Stag Industrial, Inc is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in the acquisition, ownership and operation of single-tenant industrial properties throughout the United States. The company’s portfolio is focused on free-standing warehouses, distribution centers and light manufacturing facilities designed to meet the logistical needs of a diverse tenant base. By concentrating on properties with straightforward layouts and minimal common-area maintenance, Stag Industrial seeks to deliver stable rental income and attractive risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders.

Since its founding in 2010 and initial public offering in 2011, Stag Industrial has pursued a disciplined investment strategy centered on high-quality, well-located assets.