KBC Group NV Buys 554,605 Shares of Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE:SPG)

KBC Group NV raised its stake in Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE:SPG) by 170.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 880,309 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 554,605 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.27% of Simon Property Group worth $151,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Simon Property Group by 617.5% in the 3rd 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 valued at $539,393,000 after buying an additional 2,746,503 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Simon Property Group by 373.6% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,259,648 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $212,906,000 after acquiring an additional 993,694 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Simon Property Group by 18,764.1% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 892,085 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $150,780,000 after purchasing an additional 887,356 shares during the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Simon Property Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $109,403,000. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in Simon Property Group by 2,520.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 658,191 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $111,247,000 after purchasing an additional 633,072 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.01% of the company’s stock.

Simon Property Group Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of SPG stock opened at $174.42 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.20, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.00. Simon Property Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $135.15 and a fifty-two week high of $186.00. The company has a market cap of $56.91 billion, a PE ratio of 23.22, a P/E/G ratio of 9.26 and a beta of 1.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $176.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.78.

Simon Property Group (NYSE:SPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($1.54). Simon Property Group had a net margin of 43.36% and a return on equity of 76.21%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.20 EPS. Simon Property Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Simon Property Group, Inc. will post 12.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simon Property Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.82%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Simon Property Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. Simon Property Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 111.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Simon Property Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $179.00 to $198.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Simon Property Group in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com cut Simon Property Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Simon Property Group from $158.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Simon Property Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $172.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Reuben S. Leibowitz purchased 465 shares of Simon Property Group stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $168.59 per share, for a total transaction of $78,394.35. Following the transaction, the director now owns 55,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,427,384.21. This represents a 0.84 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 8.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Simon Property Group Profile

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.