Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESRT) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest in Empire State Realty Trust surged 33.7% in March to 13,170,550 shares (about 9.0% of the float), yielding a short-interest ratio of 8.1 days based on average daily volume.
• Analyst sentiment has turned negative, with an average rating of "Sell" and an average target price of $6.35 after recent downgrades and price-target cuts from firms including Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Weiss Ratings.
• The REIT pays a quarterly dividend of $0.035 (annualized $0.14, a 2.6% yield) and has set FY2026 EPS guidance of $0.850–$0.890 (analysts expect $0.88); the stock trades near $5.49 with a market cap of about $939M.

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESRT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 13,170,550 shares, a growth of 33.7% from the March 15th total of 9,849,551 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,624,488 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 8.1 days. Approximately 9.0% of the company's shares are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Empire State Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Empire State Realty Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. DRW Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Empire State Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $69,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Empire State Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $71,000. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec grew its position in shares of Empire State Realty Trust by 29.1% during the fourth quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 11,180 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 2,523 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Empire State Realty Trust during the second quarter worth approximately $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.10% of the company's stock.

Empire State Realty Trust Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:ESRT traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $5.49. The stock had a trading volume of 738,343 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,631,013. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Empire State Realty Trust has a 1-year low of $4.87 and a 1-year high of $8.76. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.49. The company has a market cap of $939.25 million, a PE ratio of 21.10 and a beta of 1.38.

Empire State Realty Trust (NYSE:ESRT - Get Free Report) last issued 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 during the quarter. Empire State Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.850-0.890 EPS. Analysts predict that Empire State Realty Trust will post 0.88 EPS for the current year.

Empire State Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.035 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Empire State Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on ESRT shares. Evercore set a $7.00 price target on shares of Empire State Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. 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. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Empire State Realty Trust from $7.00 to $5.75 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Empire State Realty Trust from $6.80 to $6.30 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Empire State Realty Trust currently has an average rating of "Sell" and an average target price of $6.35.

About Empire State Realty Trust

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.

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