Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $16.61 and last traded at $16.5960, with a volume of 369193 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH started coverage on Whitestone REIT in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $17.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley Financial upgraded Whitestone REIT from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Whitestone REIT in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Whitestone REIT in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Whitestone REIT from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.80.

Whitestone REIT Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $852.87 million, a P/E ratio of 17.47 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $14.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.52.

Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.15. Whitestone REIT had a return on equity of 11.23% and a net margin of 31.04%.The business had revenue of $43.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.27 million. Whitestone REIT has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.100-1.140 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Whitestone REIT will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Whitestone REIT Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.1425 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $0.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Whitestone REIT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.16%.

Whitestone REIT announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Friday, December 19th that permits the company to repurchase $50.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 7.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

About Whitestone REIT

Whitestone REIT is a real estate investment trust headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, that specializes in the acquisition, development and management of retail and mixed-use properties. The company’s portfolio is concentrated in high-growth Texas markets, including the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, where it primarily owns open-air neighborhood and community shopping centers. Whitestone REIT focuses on convenience- and necessity-based retail, partnering with grocers, fitness operators, service providers and other essential tenants to drive consistent foot traffic and stable occupancy.

In addition to property ownership, Whitestone REIT provides asset and property management services, leasing expertise and development capabilities.