UBS Group AG Acquires 389,734 Shares of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. $ESRT

UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESRT) by 79.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 881,515 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 389,734 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Empire State Realty Trust were worth $5,747,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Empire State Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Empire State Realty Trust in the second quarter worth $74,000. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Empire State Realty Trust in the third quarter worth $77,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Empire State Realty Trust by 50.5% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,752 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Empire State Realty Trust during the third quarter worth $94,000. 67.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ESRT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut Empire State Realty Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Empire State Realty Trust from $6.80 to $6.30 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup cut their price objective on Empire State Realty Trust from $7.00 to $5.75 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Evercore set a $7.00 target price on Empire State Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Sell” and an average target price of $6.35.

Empire State Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:ESRT opened at $5.59 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $963.02 million, a PE ratio of 21.48 and a beta of 1.35. Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1 year low of $4.87 and a 1 year high of $8.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.16.

Empire State Realty Trust (NYSE:ESRT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $199.22 million during the quarter. Empire State Realty Trust had a net margin of 5.09% and a return on equity of 2.19%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.87 EPS for the current year.

Empire State Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.035 per share. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Empire State Realty Trust’s payout ratio is currently 53.85%.

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.