UPDATE: MLV & Co Initiates Coverage on Washington Real Estate Investment Trust on Good Long-Term Strategy

In a report published Tuesday, MLV & Co analyst Jonathan Petersen initiated coverage on

with a Buy rating and $29.00 price target. In the report, MLV & Co noted, “The ongoing shift from suburban to CBD among office properties will be dilutive in the near term, but is the right strategy to ensure long-term internal growth; WRE's portfolio in the CBD and inside the Beltway is very well located and makes up 57% of NOI. There is considerable NOI upside potential from redevelopment opportunities within this portfolio; the company has a solid balance sheet, with debt-to-total assets of 42% and fixed charge coverage of 3.0x; and while we expect asset sales to be dilutive, we believe the current NAV discount of 25% is far too aggressive.” Washington Real Estate Investment Trust closed on Monday at $23.81.