Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Takes Position in Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESRT)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESRT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 120,844 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,247,000. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.07% of Empire State Realty Trust as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Empire State Realty Trust by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,844,999 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $204,800,000 after acquiring an additional 461,421 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Empire State Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $4,725,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in shares of Empire State Realty Trust by 81.6% in the fourth quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 512,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,284,000 after purchasing an additional 230,000 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Empire State Realty Trust by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,596,894 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $16,480,000 after purchasing an additional 227,953 shares during the period. Finally, ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Empire State Realty Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $2,157,000. Institutional investors own 67.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESRT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Empire State Realty Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Wolfe Research upgraded Empire State Realty Trust from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $10.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Empire State Realty Trust in a report on Friday, April 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $11.00.

Empire State Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of ESRT stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $7.12. The company had a trading volume of 768,408 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,195,124. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $7.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.51. Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $6.56 and a one year high of $11.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 3.72 and a current ratio of 3.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.43 and a beta of 1.39.

Empire State Realty Trust (NYSE:ESRT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.19. Empire State Realty Trust had a return on equity of 2.84% and a net margin of 6.45%. The firm had revenue of $155.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $192.62 million. Equities analysts expect that Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Empire State Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.035 dividend. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Empire State Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Thomas P. Durels sold 11,843 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.02, for a total value of $94,980.86. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,185 shares of the company's stock, valued at $354,363.70. This trade represents a 21.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,122 shares of company stock worth $242,761. 14.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Empire State Realty Trust Profile

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc NYSE: ESRT is a NYC-focused REIT that owns and operates a portfolio of modernized, amenitized, and well-located office, retail, and multifamily assets. The company is the recognized leader in energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. ESRT's flagship Empire State Building - the "World's Most Famous Building" - includes its Observatory, Tripadvisor's 2023 Travelers' Choice Awards: Best of the Best the #1 attraction in the US for two consecutive years.