Traders Buy High Volume of Empire State Realty Trust Call Options (NYSE:ESRT)

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESRT) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders purchased 4,000 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 10,711% compared to the typical volume of 37 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ESRT shares. Evercore set a $7.00 price target on shares of Empire State Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Empire State Realty Trust from $6.80 to $6.30 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Empire State Realty Trust from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Empire State Realty Trust from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Empire State Realty Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Sell” and a consensus price target of $6.77.

Empire State Realty Trust Stock Down 3.9%

NYSE ESRT opened at $5.00 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Empire State Realty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $4.87 and a fifty-two week high of $8.76. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $5.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.66. The stock has a market cap of $855.34 million, a PE ratio of 19.21 and a beta of 1.38.

Empire State Realty Trust (NYSE:ESRT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Empire State Realty Trust had a net margin of 6.06% and a return on equity of 2.59%. The company had revenue of $199.22 million for the quarter. Empire State Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.850-0.890 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Empire State Realty Trust will post 0.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Empire State Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.035 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Empire State Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 53.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Empire State Realty Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cohen & Steers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Empire State Realty Trust by 456.9% during the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 11,128,303 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $72,557,000 after acquiring an additional 9,129,959 shares in the last quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Empire State Realty Trust in the second quarter worth about $43,706,000. Lasalle Investment Management Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Empire State Realty Trust by 264.1% in the fourth quarter. Lasalle Investment Management Securities LLC now owns 5,524,484 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,020,000 after acquiring an additional 4,007,189 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Empire State Realty Trust by 204.5% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,155,109 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $20,571,000 after purchasing an additional 2,118,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Empire State Realty Trust by 137.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,105,313 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $24,284,000 after purchasing an additional 1,798,850 shares during the last quarter. 67.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Empire State Realty Trust Company Profile

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on the ownership, management and operation of office and retail properties. The company’s portfolio features the iconic Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan, alongside a diversified collection of commercial assets situated throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and select markets in Upstate New York. By offering premium office space and street-level retail, Empire State Realty Trust positions itself as a landlord of choice for corporate tenants, retailers and experiential brands seeking high-profile addresses.

Established through a spin-off of assets in early 2013, Empire State Realty Trust consolidated a mix of landmark and Class A properties, creating scale in one of the world’s most competitive real estate markets.